NOVEMBER 1989 UK £1.95
Be 225 GAMES MUST BE WON! IN OUR £6000 COMPO SSRI
De VER TWENTY AMIGA GAMES RELEASES REVIEWED! jus
The XMAS RELEASES - HOT NEWS FROM THE HOUSES! se
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GAMES MACHINE
| “TOP SCORE” AWARD
= “Grab hold of Voyager as
‘4 soon as you can.”
“The most atmospheric 3D
game you Il ever play.”
ZZAP “SIZZLER” AWARD.
Suet “Dragonninja is fun to play
i... well Taal ®)(saatsalenem-lae
4 extremely addictive.”
ACE MAGAZINE.
© DATA EAST
SE" « |
pT ARS
AN ANNA od
6 Central Street - Manchester - M2 5NS) Telephone.
“Irresistible ... an arcade-
perfect conversion.”
ZZAP SIZZLER — ZZAP 64.
A superb game in every
respect.”
C+VG HIT — C+VG,
7 MONTHS AT NO. 1
“This is definitely the best
film tie-in to date, and is an
utterly superb game in its
own right — don’t miss it.”
C+VG GAME OF THE
MONTH — C+VG.
TM & © ORION PICTURES CORP
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
4/
© TAITO CORP.
seo = MODOGSP a=
a 74 WN EY | st
533 Telex:1669977 OCEANS G - Fax: 061834 0650
GIVING THE GAME AWAY .1....90
GRAPHICS AND DEMOS wes1187
HOW OUR SYSTEM WORKS ...96
PIRACY EXPOSED icassasanaictisee
POINTS OF GRUE sade ondintitizseas
READERS LETTERS caicwaisaivuen
REAL SOON NOW jpablsenincnencd
SUBSCRIPTIONS S Aisinece
3D POOL Eietat eee lean DY,
ALTERED BEAST vesssssssssessses1120
BATOMBNN vissccsscestossarssavsersneissccansl
BATTLE VALLEY. sisssssssssersss62
BEACH VOLLEY sessssssssssessss1:80
BLOODWYCH sssssssssssentssssee11n40
CONTINENTAL CIRCUS ..sss1111.60
DAILY DOUBLE ss sastibas ieceuuaisantee
DYNAMITE DUX sssssssassrseensernens24
EMPEROR OF THE MINES ......04
GAMES SUMMER EDITION.....66
HILLSFAR ssssssssssssecssnes04
KINGDOMS OF ENGLAND.......84
LANCASTERosssssssesssssserserse100 28
LEGEND rae causcepiminOe
SHINOBI ssssssssssssserssssssserss110
STEEL FES ats Ae OCR,
WAYNE GRETZKY HOCKEY....36
XENOPHOBE ssssssssssosssrsssseresre0 0
PUBLISHED BY:
GOLLNER PUBLISHING LTD,
‘LATHAM HOUSE’, QUARRY LANE,
CHICHESTER, W SUSSEX, PO19 2NY.
TELEPHONE: (0243) 532828
FAX: (0243) 533070
PUBLISHER: HUGH GOLLNER
CO-ORDINATOR: STEVE MERRETT
DIGITAL REPRO: |AN TINDALE
ART ASSISTANT: CHRIS STEVENS
CONTRIBUTORS: DOUG JOHNS,
STEVE WHITE, ANDY MITCHELL,
STEVE KENNEDY.
SUBSCRIPTIONS: (0243) 532828
ADVERTISING: JOHN RIDING
TEL (0225) 447453 FAX (0457) 871852
PRINTED BY: CRADLEY PRINT,
o2 Issue 002 Amiga Action
BATMAN IS HERE!
At last, Ocean's interpretation of the smash film
hits the Amiga. Warning: This is
no preview - this is a full “AA
in-depth review!
Lommel ~ ewe
== = cf |
> @ + & f i
Ocean send _ four
bronzed hunks to play
ball on the
beach in this
unusual sport-
ing action sim-
ulation.
world of pixels gets
under way with
an explanation
of how com-
puter graphics
DYNAMITE DUX
Activision's conversion of the popular arcade
game explodes into action your
Amiga screen and our team like
what's on offer!
Sporting action
from Epyx the
people behind
S Um me F
Games.
Sia agp peony = ‘ ya Fee ee eee WB. y siniiciend Botts Se am a Sea -
ye -! Sing * : a —— — : id ie e" P nt.
Another exciting coin-op conversion from
Activision. This time you take
the role of man or beast in a
scrolling hack'em up.
THE GAMES
Games Summer
Edition: i&-. slassic
WHEREABOUTS os
Pili Mo a ee Mil, ll le ie ae
this time with Mirrorsoft's com-
pelling Bloodwych.
WE'D LIKE TO THANK YOU..
All the Amiga Action crew would like to thank you for the hundreds of leters of con-
patulation, phone calls, reader surveys and competition entries that we have received
in response to issue one of Amiga Action. Its obvious that many of you have been
waiting for a magazine that talks your language, doesnt treat you like a child and
most importantly of all is solely dedicated to Amiga gaming,
Many of you asked if we would be able maintain the standard of issue one, Well
you aren't going to be disappointed This month we have almost as many games
reviews as last month's epic review extravaganza, we have more tips and cheats, three
paves of readers letters, a superb £6000 competition and the start of our regular graph
ics column, Then, of course, there is the future! Next month will see a record number
of Amiga games releases it's going to be an exciting winter - why not join us
: te ZAI | Fescmntey shat ei + waa 4
RPG's are all the rage these days it seems! Its Hy N id
very much more of the same
OVERALL RATING
100~—o
You just are not going
to believe the quality
of this competition! We
have an amazing 225
CONTINENTAL CIRCUS
Virgin unleash an enormously 3 ie
addictive conversion of this coin- §
Op grand prix racing game.
Complete with fast smooth graph- fa
ics, pitstops, rain- ,
fall and a host of
different tracks.
games sitting in our
offices ready for 225
lucky individuals to
win!!! And not only
that but we
have loadsa
tee shirts and
mugs as well!
Amiga Action Issue 002 Os
WATCH OUT, WHATCH OUT
THERE'S A FEF ABOUT
Mentioned briefly last month, we
now have more info to bring you
on EA's’ tongue-in-cheek
adventure, Keef the Thief. Billed
as a dangerous, daring and
delinquent’ tale, you, controlling
the light-fingered Keef, must
basically loot Tri-city - home to
loads of nickable goodies. The
game is entirely mouse-
controlled, with the player
controlling Keef's movements
using the mouse pointer in
conjunction with various self-
explanatory icons and, using
these, you must attempt to re-
assemble a mysterious statue,
and make yourself a god in the
process. Featuring a whole load
of spells and puzzles, you can
snatch yourself a copy of Keef's
game in October.
Selecting an icon from his...
er... unusual inventory, Keef
the thief prepares to throw an
axe at the greasy Lemmy
lookalike.
grat Zot
kluse jottuslcastimenifatst, —
ote
Terreme narved Er=er
Looking down a dark, long
tunnel system, Keef
contemplates giving up and
giving the girl who has left her
number on the wall a ring.
GDS HEAD FOR GOAL
In the wake of both Kenny
Dalglish AND Gazza’'s soccer,
comes CDS's soccer
management game. Called
European Superleague, the
game places you in the sweaty
trainers of a professional footy
manager, as he tries to guide
his team through the various
Stages of the Europeans
Chamions cup. There are eight
teams to choose from, and each
team has its various merits and
failures. Features such as
postponed games, injuries and
unruly players make your life
hell
Oo4 Issue 002 Amiga Action
One year after the release of
the highly-acclaimed C64
version, it seems that the long-
awaited Pool of Radiance D&D
game is about to be released.
Taking control of a brave party
of warriors, Pools of Radiance
has the player fighting all
manner of dragons, ogres and
the like, as the party attempt to
defeat an invading race known
as the Draconians. Behind the
creation of the Draconians is
the evil Queen of Darkness,
and unless she and her
minions are defeated, your
own world of Krynn will be
under her dark reign for
evermore. To defeat the Queen
the brave must use the land's
last hope - the powerful Disks
of Mishakal. Using these disks
to free trapped villagers, you
must engage the Draconians
in battle, use whatever skills
you have on the various
dragons and warlocks, before
encountering and destroying
the evil Queen. If you like the
sound of that, you will be able
to see for yourself when it is
released in a month or two's
time.
As well as Pools of
Radiance, the SSI people will
also be bringing us a number
of other TSR computer
versions, and if they prove to
be half as good as Hillsfar
which Doug ranted about this
month, we should be in for a
treat.
DULAC
Sik
BOT
(Above) Approaching a menacing dragon, the player must decide
who is best equipped for dealing with it.
~ +
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a
As the party moves across the large landscape, their journeys
are depicted within the eight-way scrolling window. Forced
perspective gives a nice feeling of depth, and, likewise, the
hidden creatures are all fully animated.
ee
‘
Panis gees <2
LOLOL LJU
Before your party can begin their quest, you must select their
various attributes. On this screen, you can give them their
muscles, heads and the like - resulting in some very butch-
looking women and effeminate men!
ELECTRONIC ARTS®
To order, send £9.99 for “The Promised Lands” data disc (Original Populous required to play) or
£24.99 for Populous to ELECTRONIC ARTS, DEPT. PCS, 11-49 STATION ROAD, LANGLEY,
BERKS SL3 8YN. For credit card orders, please phone (0753) 49442
——————————
Because each member of your
team has different attributes,
your team must be carefully
selected to take advantages of
their various good points. In
addition, if you want to create
your own team, there is an
option which allows you to do
so.
——
Featuring all the razzamatazz of
one of America’s favourite
sports, TV Sports Basketball
looks set to be as big a success
as Football was.
GINEMAWARE PREPARE T0
SLAM DUNK
Following the extremely
successful TV Sports Football,
comes the next in the series:
Basketball. Once again,
Cinemaware will be
concentrating on both
presentation and playability,
hopefully to the same extent as
in Football. The game features a
number of teams to play, and
there is a range of tournaments
for the player to participate in. A
full complement of moves are
available, including weaving and
ducking, and the game will be
able to support a four-player
mode, providing you have
Microdeal's extension lead. A
feature novel to Basketball,
though, will be the fact that each
player has physical mismatches.
For instance, as in real life, some
players are taller than others,
whilst some have more stamina.
There is even an option for good
looks, but how that counts in
Basketball is anyone's guess!
As with Football, there will
be interviews, TV commentary
and cheerleaders. There is even
an action replay facility that
allows you to save your greatest
moments onto disk to show your
frinds at a later date. TV Sports
Basketball, complete with its full
set of leagues, shots and
presentation, will be available in
the new year, priced at £29.99,
OG Issue 002 Amiga Action
Coming soon from EA and
written by Freefall Associates,
is a fantasy role-playing game
called Swords of Twilight.
Featuring character
interaction, a Superb
soundtrack and arcade
elements, Twilight involves
taking your team across the
eight parallel lands that make
up your world, and destroying
the evil shadowlords who have
gained control of each. Using
any clues given to you, along
with the various useful magic
items, your team of four must,
using whatever means
available, destroy each of the
lords. Then, and only then, will
their world be safe. If that has
whet your appetite, then you
can get a closer look in early
October.
Also coming at that time is
EA’s cyberpunk adventure,
Neuromancer. This long-
awaited romp places the
player in a city straight out of
Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner,
complete with futuristic
weirdos. Using the various
icons available to you, you
(2 =
~Z Weareona quest
__ important to the realm.” |
BITES ELECTRONIC ARTS INTO BATTLE
must take your character
through the strange city,
solving puzzles as you go.
Looks interesting, especially if
you are a fan of the
aformentioned cyberpunk.
are outside the
Chatsubo Ban in
Chiba City.
“What brings stranger:
here?
Only the magic spells collected will defeat this unfriendly dragon - or will they?
ears * handle BP UN ON oc @ ON oe MIEN on GRE 8 WAITED Foust FOOTBALLER
bi _ pressures ofa a oor
professional
Am ) FEATURES
footballer whose Customised league tables
aim is to become | oe We
the number one i
striker and Gremlin Supercup | |
Footballer Of The
Year? Pere UK Supercup
= wi ve
Be prepared to European Supercup
e lola. Ep ; , |
work as hard off the : w= = 7 a= : y : Va ee! ames a
field as you do onit.
World Supercup matches
*
Being a Footballer
Of The Year is not
just ball-skills and
the glory of goals,
you have to be part
of a team and have»
an in-depth
knowledge of the
Blackboard tactical
planning and action
sequences.
‘Double or nothing trivia
Transfer opportunities
and International glory
and much more.
sport.
i
SPECTRUM 48/128K
Cassette £9.99 Disk £14.99 Go for it! Score the
CBM 64/128
goals, make the
right decisions and
the glory of
Footballer Of The
Year can be yours.
Cassette £9.99 Disk £14.99
AMSTRAD CPC
Cassette £9.99 Disk £14.99
ATARI ST & AMIGA
£19.99
UK SUPERLEAGUE
SELECT TEAM
Hove cursor over |
the bean’ you
eianh. ne : | e vip
ARSEN
n
ess return '
c
A han Cinitea . =
3
Aesegnyed oF
All mail order enquiries to Gremlin Graphics Software Ltd., Alpha House, 10 Carver Street, Sheffield S1 4FS. Tel: (0742) 753423
GOALS SCORED THIS SEASON|
)
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Cy. &
EveRvon Ts eo! AS
With a whole host of successful
conversions behind them,
Ocean are looking for more
success when they unleash
Cabal, Chase H.Q-> and
Operation Thunderbolt. Of the
ENEMY
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ark A
apes i Tt ull WU
three, Cabal is probably the
least known. Converted from the
lrem coin-op, Cabal puts you in
the shoes of a pair of crack
soldiers as you blast your way
through twenty levels of gun-
gang §* (5)
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Taito's Chase HQ is nearing completion and looking great!
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toting mercenaries. The action is
very similar to that of the classic
Operation Wolf, in so much as a
cursor is used to plug the
enemy. The main difference,
though, is that both characters
are actually shown on the
screen. Your ultimate aim is to
fight your way through the levels,
wasting as many of the enemy
as possible. Ocean France who
brought us the conversions of
the Operation Wolf and Dragon
Ninja are writing Cabal, and the
game so far boasts some almost
arcade-perfect graphics and
some meaty end-of-level tanks
and machinery.
Chase HQ
Taito’s Chase H.Q., however,
probably won't need any
introduction to the arcade-goers
out there. Assuming the role of a
Don Johnson lookalike Miami
cop, you are given the task of
zooming along the winding
highways of your beat, stopping
the evil drug barons that
terrorise the neighbourhood. As
with games such as Outrun and
Super Hang-on, your fast-
moving Porsche is viewed in
third-person perspective, with
the other cars and dealers
scrolling smoothly past and
towards you. As you tear along
the busy streets, the drug
barons’ cars are instantly
recognisable by the
conspicuous yellow arrow
pointing to them. When one is
located, you must then ram his
car continuously until he pulls
LU A ae ME AN
bebe iall
Mt A
over. However, as soon as you
get near him, he. starts
accelerating, so you must use of
your three special turbo boosts
to catch him. There are five
levels to Chase H.Q., with the
roads getting more dangerous
with each level, and the crooks’
intelligence improving, too. So
far, it has to be said that Chase
is looking very impressive. The
screen update is smooth, and
the graphics very close to that of
the coin-op - albeit a little more
‘cute-looking’.
Operation thunderbolt
Ocean France’s conversion of
the Uzi-mounted Operation Wolf
was probably one of the closest
coin-op conversions of last year.
This year, Ocean are hoping to
recreate that success with its
sequel, Operation Thunderbolt.
Re-assuming the role of Roy
Adams, the hero of the first
operation, you enrole your
friend, Hardy Jones, to help free
a trapped band of hostages
from some crazed terrorists.
Once again, your control is with
an onscreen cursor, and
positioning this over the
marauding terrorists, you must
blast them away before they get
a chance to sap your energy
with a well-aimed grenade, knife
or bullet. The main difference
between Thunderbolt and its
predecessor is the fact that the
game scrolls not = only
horizontally like the original, but
‘into' the screen as well. Apart
from that, the game promises to
be another gun-toting
extravaganza which looks and
plays very closely to the coin-op.
Work on Thunderbolt is being
done by the inhouse team and,
so far, is at a very, very early
stage. We have been shown
sprite screens, basic animation
and a rolling demo of the
second level but, even so, it is
looking very close to the original.
Batman
With the success of Robocop
still prominent, Ocean's main
movie tie-in is, of course,
Batman. Following the story of
Tim Burton's atmospheric
masterpiece extremely closely,
Batman: The Game Is split into
five separate sections ranging
from a scene where Jack Napier
falts into a vat of toxic chemicals
to become The Joker, to a final
confrontation where Batman and
his nemesis have a final battle
on top of Gotham’s cathedral,
The game features a number of
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wa “etn
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Seated in your new Porche 944 Turbo, you must search the roads for highly dangerous criminals.
OS éssve 002 Amiga Action
varied game tasks, including a
section where Batman must
piece together those chemical
combinatiions which are killing
people, and a brilliant driving
section in which the Batmobile
and the Batwing are shown in
third-person perspective tearing
through Gotham’s streets,
severing balloons full of The
Joker’s deadly gas. The game is
being written entirely inhouse,
and will be available within the
next month.
The Untouchables
Surprisingly enough, out of all of
Ocean's forthcoming releases,
this one is the one that has had
the most work done on it.
Another multi-stage game, The
Untouchables puts you in the
shoes of Eliot Ness and his gang
of crime busters. Like Batman,
there are five individually-loaded
sections, each following the
film's action. Beginning in a
warehouse, Ness and his band
must break in on one of
Capone's liquor warehouses and
bust the workers. However, also
present are a number of
Capone’s accountants, and if
they are caught you can gain
valuable knowledge -= on
Capone’s accounts to put him
behind bars - your ultimate aim.
From the warehouse you must
then thwart a liquor run. Making
your way to an old bridge, you
prepare to intercept the delivery.
As you ambush the lorries, men
jump out, blasting away, so you
must blow them away using your
faithful tommy-gun.
After that, you must avoid
ambushes by Capone's guys
and make your way to the train
station where you must save a
lady's baby whilst shooting at
Capone's cronies. This section is
probably the most imaginative in
the game. Once the baby is
safe, one of Capone’s henchmen
takes an accountant hostage,
and, in a scene similar to the
hostage one in Robocop, you
must shoot him in the head.
However, you only get time for
one shot - so make it count.
Finally, the game closes with a
climactic shoot-out with Frank
Nitty, Capone's right-hand man.
Kill him, and you will have
enough evidence to bang
Capone behind bars.
The Lost Patrol
This massive Vietnam game was
Originally proposed as Platoon ll,
but instead, it is being promoted
as an original product. A party of
seven crack soldiers has been
stranded in a geek-infested
jungle and must make their way
from their crashed helicopter to
a safe base. The game is
entirely mouse controlled and
features some very nice
graphics and several different
styles of gameplay. All we have
seen is a number of still screens
and some animation on the map
screen but, so far, it is looking
very good. Shadow
Development are writing the
game, and up to now it has had
almost a year's solid work on it.
The Untouchables. Guide Eliot Ness and his team through five
levels of varied and original arcade sequences.
In something of an unusual step, Ocean take to the already
brutally-competitive skies with F-29 Retaliator.
Various personality clashes,
such as morale factors and a
‘psycho’ rating (!), together with
each of the team’s health should
be kept up as much as possible.
You'll be able to judge the Lost
Patrol for yourself in November.
F-29 Retaliator
This is something of a first for
Originally billed as a sequel to the playable Platoon, The Lost Patrol sees you taking charge of a
group of six stranded soldiers. Can you deal with their personality traits and the Viet-cong ?
Ocean, as it sees their entry into
the realms of flight sims.
Controlling the F-29 (which,
incidentally, is still in
development) you are given four.
battle scenarios and worlds to
liberate. A full complement of
weapons are on offer, and the
game's battles take place over
land and sea, and feature
missions such as bombings and
dog-fights. A real-time cockpit
displays the action, and you can
also pan around your plane - a
la Falcon, Featuring some very
fast and smooth update -
although, when we saw it, there
weren't any land-based graphics
- it will also be available in
November.
Ivanhoe
Coming soon from Ocean
France comes lvanhoe, a
horizontally-scrolling
arcade/adventure. Armed
initially with a sword, lvanhoe
must enter battle with dragons
and the like; collect magic
potions; ride a cowardly horse;
and avoid hunters. lvanhoe will
meet all manner of strange
creatures, and these can be
dealt with with your sword or any
of the other weapons you may
stumble across. Ivanhoe will be
available with two or three
month's time.
Amiga Action Issue 002 o9
ARTRONIG TAKE'EM OUT
Following on from the mammoth
release schedule we reported
last month, Artronic are following
it up with Take’em Out, a
shoot’em-up in the mould of
Operation Wolf and Prohibition.
Taking on the role of a crack
sniper, you must guide a cross-
hair Cursor across a baddy-
infested building, shooting the
kidnappers. However, every now
and then, a hostage will stick
their head up, so care must be
taken not to shoot them by
accident. A wealth of weapons Is
available, and up to two can be
activated via the mouse. We
have a two-level demo at
present, and it must be said that
it plays quite well. Expect to see
it within the next couple of
months.
Halt or lll fire! Artronic put you in
charge of a sniper as you prepare
to blast away at the kidnappers -
but moind out for the hostages.
DEVELOPMENT
f/f Gamers SOFTWARE
A nice touch in Take’em Out is the
choice of weaponry. The mouse is
used to select each weapon, and
then either mouse button can be
used to activate them.
FIRST ISSUE OOPS!
Okay its own up time! The first
issue of Amiga Action was fairly
error free by publishing
standards, but we must admit
their were a couple of hiccups.
Top of the list must be the
preview of Strider which
appeared xx pages before the
full review, which we managed
to squeeze in at the last minute.
RSN was also the victim of
another major fau par - the
photos of Ninja 2 got mixed
together
1 oO Issue 002 Amiga Action
> = =e
5 = 74
Coming in October, is the sequel
to Virgin's successful
conversion, Double Dragon.
Unoriginally named, Double
Dragon II, once again the two
brothers are given the task of
avenging their girlfriend - this
Coming ‘soon from Empire, the
people behind Sleeping Gods,
is Time, an animated
adventure. You begin the
game on a lone space station,
but as you explore, your task
unfolds before you. You must
build the perfect android, and
to do this, you must travel to
various time zones in a rickety
old time machine. Your travels
will be interrupted § by
dangerous adventures, and
you must solve puzzles to
save your neck. Time features
a 100 different locations, each
filled with superb graphics and
characters with whom you can
interact. An icon system is
used to control your character,
and, using this, you can
perform various fucntions such
as talk, throw and walk. Priced
at £29.99, Time will be here in
October.
Hopefully, Double Dragon II will be harder than its easy
predecessor - the coin-op certainly was.
time after the evil Mr Big gunned
her down. One or two players
can team up or fight
singlehandedly, and there are
now even more baddies to
punch, kick and throw.
Also due around the same
Your quest |
for spare
parts will |
take you
through
Rome, the
Crimean
War,and will
see you
kidnapped
by the Mona
Lisa.
WII you find the parts for the perfect android?
stage, there is no disputing
that Ninja Warriors looks like
Shinobi - let’s just hope it
plays better.
time is the conversion of Ninja
Warriors. Using the same
horizontally-scrolling-style play
of Shinobi, Ninja Warriors is
another conversion from the
Sega coin-op. Converted by
Random Access, the game
features a wide range of deadly
enemies, all out for your blood.
Work is at a very early stage at
present, with some of the Ninja's
limbs floating above his body
whilst fighting, but the full game
promises an array of joined-up
warrioirs and enemy.
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KENNY DALGLISH SCORES
ON THE AMIGA
Not content with hammering
Crystal Palace 9-0, Kenny
Dalglish is now set to appear on
our Amigas in a footy game from
Impressions. Assuming the role
of Kenny and his team, you must
steer your team to the top of
Division One, scooping up as
many trophys as possible in the
process, The game will be a
cross between Kick Off and
Football Manager, with the
player making all of the key
decisions. Out next month at the
twenty quid mark.
Guide Kenny and his team to
more 9-0 victories with
Impressions’ new footy game.
WATCH OUT KENNY HERE
COWES GAZZA
Yes, at last! Here are some
screenshots of everybody's
favourite clown - sorry, footballer,
Paul Gascoigne's Soccer game.
Taking controller of the giant
wobbly one himself, Gazza's
soccer's empthasis is on
playability rather than the
managerial side. Unfortunately,
we can't tell you whether the
game lets you stuff the ball up
your shirt like good ol’ Gazza
himself does, but from what we
have seen it looks quite nice.
Gazza will be weighing down the
shelves in you local computer
shop towards the end of
October.
= SB ee Fy BE SPA F ES -e=
aE BRS Ay tT
'
If you were a fan of Dragon’s
Lair, you are just going to love
Space Ace. It was the
unofficial laser disk sequel to
Lair, and featured the
adventures of a bumbling
space hero in the vein of Dirk
the Daring. Written by
Visionary Design, the guys
behind Lair, Space Ace offers
more action and, hopefully,
involvement than the first laser
disk-to-Amiga conversion. This
time, the game works on an
unexpanded Amiga, and from
what we have seen it is going
to be good. The Space Ace's
quest is against a huge blue
space pirate who must pay for
his various crimes, and you
have been sent to deal with
him. This pirate, the evil
commander Borf, has
kidnapped your girlfriend
Kimberley, and, whilst holding
her hostage, has developed a
ray gun which reverts adults to
childhood - and he is
threatening to use it on Earth!
The game is controlled either
by the joystick or with keys,
only this time it is believed that
there is more player
participation.
There are usual bevy of the
unusual and deadly for the
Can you save kimberley? Tune
in next week...
Borf lets loose with his
Infanto-Ray.
Go on, Guia: stuff the ball up
your shirt ans sneak it past
the goalie!
Oops, Ace stumbles and falls
over a precarious edge -
probably to his death - again!
Ace to battle against, and
there are something like forty
different screens to battle
through. To aid Ace in his
travels, extra weapons such as
lasers and fireballs can be
directed against Borf and his
minions. But the climax of the
game sees you turn his
Infanto-Ray on him! At present,
we haven't been told how
many disks it is spread over,
but | expect it will be in the
region of five or six like
Dragon's Lair. Expect Space
Ace, along with Borf and his
deadly Infanto-Ray, sometime
in November.
Once again, large fully-animated sprites are the order of the day
in this, the newest laser disk-to-Amiga conversion. Let’s just
hope it plays better than Dragon’s Lair.
The hapless Space Ace’s adventures are depicted over several
repeating levels, a la Dragon’s Lair, with each repeated level
played over a mirror image, with different moves.
This blue dude is the evil pirate behind all of the Space Ace’s
problems - can you help him defeat him?
™ Amiga is a trademark of the
Commodore Computer Corporation If
ANC &
TM© 1987, Atari Corporation a
£ ] OQ . OG Sunnyvale, CA 94086. All rights —*
reserved ~
Commodore Amiga screenshot Commodore Amiga screenshot
a ne -
Pan :
Also, just released Steve Bak’s ‘Dogs of War’.
Steve Bak, author of the highly acclaimed ‘Goldrunner and ‘Leatherneck’, has
joined forces with Elite, publishers of the definitive arcade war games; “Ikari
Warriors’ and ‘Commando’, to produce the ultimate game in this classic genre.
Drawing on the comments made by thousands of ‘Ikari‘*'Commando’
enthusiasts, Steve has designed a totally new action-war game Incorporating
features that these classics SHOULD have had:
Simultaneous 2-player action.
@ Extensive mission/weapon/ammo selection options.
® Bilistering, arcade action,
@ Flawicss multi-directional scrolling.
@ Totally designed to utilise the capabilities of advanced 16-bit computers —
no 8-bit imitations.
Release date: Europe 16th Oct.
UK ist Nov.
£19.99 ST/Amiga
© 1989, Elite
Systems Ltd.
© Capcom U.S.A. Inc. 1989
© 1989, Elite Systems Ltd.
RELEASE DATE:
29th NOV. ‘89
EUROPEAN RELEASE DATE
13TH NOV. ‘89
Elite Systems Limited,
Anchor House, Anchor Koad,
Aldridge, Walsall, West Midlands
WS9 8PW, England.
Consumer Hot Line: (0922) 743408.
A Plea from the Heart...
Could you please tell my Mum and Dad
how good the Amiga is, because I
currently own a Commodore 64 and am
hoping to upgrade to an Amiga. The
trouble is, first I have to persuade
my parents, so please print my
letter and your answer in your mega-
mag. By the way, your magazine has
got prospects.
Jamie William, Manchester.
AA: No problem! Listen, Mr. and Mrs.
Williams, if you were to buy Jamie his
beloved Amiga, just think of all the peace
and quiet that will follow. No more getting
pulled into the window of your local computer
emporium so that you see - again - his dream
present; no more magazines such as ours
left conveniently on your chairs, just waiting
to be picked up; and no more sighing as he
goes upstairs to play on his antiquated 64.
Go on, don’t deny Jamie the ultimate in
computers - give into his demands. You know
it makes sense!
Congrats!
I woke up this morning expecting
another boring, average day. After
my daily dose of television, I
travelled to my local newsagent on
the off-chance that I may find A*E
(the names have been omitteed to
protect the talentless! - Ed.).
While I scanned the shelves, the
brilliantly designed cover of your
mag caught my eye. I hastily bought
your magazine, and ran home to read
it. I am glad to say I was amazed by
the quality of your mag, which beats
every other magazine including Amiga
F**mat (once again, the name has
been disguised to save their
possible embarrassment —- Ed.).
Next, my views on the software
industry. Only Psygnosis and
Cinemaware produce games worthy of
the Amiga; why not give your views
on how much further the Amiga can be
pushed? Software houses are a
disgrace if they port over ST
versions of games. Instead, they
should find a decent programming
team to handle their conversions. As
I have already said, Amiga Action
beats every other Amiga magazine ,
Amiga F*r*a* is the only one that
comes close, although its second
issue was a big disappointment - I
hope the same won’t happen to Amiga
Action.
Finally, I was impressed with
your review on Beast - congrats on
being the first to review it -
although perhaps you could have
included an interview with the
programmers and some technical info.
In particular, I like your policy of
not over-rating games (ie. no 97%s),
therefore leaving room for the real
masterpieces. Overall your mag is
the best, so don’t let the standard
slip.
D. Towhide, Kent
AA: | agree with you totally about direct ports
from the ST. Although the ST is a fine
machine, it seems silly not to take advantage
of the Amiga's capabilities - especially when
the buyer has to pay an extra fiver. However,
now that the Amiga is selling like hot-cakes,
original stuff is being written, and the number
of ports is - thankfully - going down. Finally,
don't worry about the mag’s quality going
down, it won't happen - but if anyone out
there has ideas about what they would like to
see, please write in and tell us.
Congrats (ITI)
Hi, I’m just writing a few lines to
say how much I enjoyed reading the
first issue of AA; I really like
your review system. I know I will be
buying AA every month, so keep up
the good work.
Steven Sturgess, Farnborough
AA: Well, what can | say, apart from, thanks!
AA Addictivity
First, let me point out that this
letter has one criticism! This is
that you don’t give a percentage for
addictiveness and playablility -
although you do mention it. So,
enough of that, here are the good
points. Wow, what a great use of
colour! This is what caught my eye
first. Also the layout of the
previews is excellent; the pictures
are neat and are set out well. The
reviews also have a lot of detail,
which I feel are essential. Moving
onto the tips - they are great. Well
done for the adventure column and I
really loved the megatest on the
joysticks (although I didn’t always
agree with it). Last, but not least,
it is helpful to have a supplement
on graphics and sound. Well done!
Keep up the good work!
Andrew Poyiadgi, Upper Norwood
AA: Thanks, Andrew, but is there anything
about the mag you DON'T like!
Dear Ed,
At last! Someone has produced a
virtually all-games mag solely for
the Amiga - well done! Your magazine
is well laid out and deserves praise
for full-colour screen shots (I
deplore the printing of black and
white photos of a machine whose
software and hardware is so visually
attractive.
Thank goodness your music section
takes a refreshing look at the world
of Amiga sonix. I recently purchased
Aegis Sonix but find it hard to
produce a score. I can manage a main
tune, but when it comes to adding a
bass-line and drum I give up. Why is
tt - so hard to find the “*night’
instrument? Hopefully, your article
will cover this in the future. Your
review section is also good - at
last, reviewers not scared to say
what they think. Thanks to you, I
decided to order Xenon II...
Whilst on the topic of ordering,
so many people write in with their
‘tales of woe’ about money/time lost
through mail order companies. I am
going to recommend Special Reserve
whose club I have belonged to for
six months and who have never let
me down. So readers, not all mail
order houses are only after your
money! Anyway, well done AA on an
excellent first issue - may there be
many more!
Craig Thornton, Lincoln
AA: | agree with you about not all mail order
houses being unscrupulous, but there are a
good many who are. ST Action’s Editor, Nick
‘Roger Cook’ Clarkson, spends a lot of his
time chasing money on behalf of unfortunate
people. The general rule is, if you find a
reliable one, don't be tempted to order from
someone else because they are cheaper
unless you know for certain they are reliable.
Questions, Questions
I have been reading computer
magazines for over a year now and
none of them have been especially
good. But now Amiga Action has come
out, and it is definitely the best
mag around and its reviews are spot
on. I’d also like to know some
information:
1. Do you know anything about Gold
Medallist or Main Event being
converted as they are great coin-
eps? 2. When are TV Sports:
Basketball and Soccer coming out? 3.
Will you be having cover disks?
Michael O’Brien, Canvey Island
AA: 1. At the time of writing, none of the
companies | have spoken to have signed the
rights, but perhaps they will within the next
two or three months.
2. There is a news item on TV Sports:
Basketball this month and it will be out in the
new year. Soccer, however, will be slightly
after.
3. As for cover disks, we may do a cover
disk if we can fill it with quality stuff. | don’t
agree with the policy of making you pay an
extra pound for the luxury of some PD stuff
you may not want. But if we can get up-to-
date demos or even whole games, then you
will see a cover disk on AA.
Wot no humour?
This is your first letter, right?
(Wrong - Ed.) Thought so (Eh? -
Ed.). Well, anyway, I bought the mag
after taking out a loan for the
required £1.95.
brill apart from one thing - WHERE’S
THE SMEGGING JOKES? I mean a
computer mag with no laughs is just
not on. So you reviewers - Steve,
Whitey and the one with the hat -
start dossing around, or go and work
for a dead mag such as BBC Micro
Weekly or summit like that!
Norman, Walsall
AA: Believe it or not, we at Amiga Action
aren't a bunch of miserable gits, we enjoy a
laugh as much as the next man (unless that
man is Hugh Gollner, then we remain utterly
po-faced.), but we think that filling the mag
with jokes about fish, jobbies and ‘fnarr fnarr’
gets tedious after a while, so we made a
conscientious decision to leave it out (o0-er!)
and perhaps use it later (fnar fnack!). Still, if
you want humour, don't take it lying down
(fweep fweep), give it to us hard (o0-eck,
glopp)!
Praise Indeed
Your magazine is quite unusual. The
cover stands out well, and the mag
gets better as you read on. The
paper on which the magazine is
printed is also brilliant! Seftt,
smooth and brings those flat
pictures to life. There is just one
problem: I don’t actually own an
Amiga - although I will do very
soon. However, even though I don’t
have an Amiga yet, I couldn’t stop
myself from buying the mag. The
100%s on the top right of the cover
are true, and the Amiga Action logo
is brilliant. The mag is well priced
for all the info we get, for
instance, the games’ reviews,
graphics, sound and music, plus much
more. Finally, it has nice adverts,
such as the Batman one, the Indy one
and Sleeping Gods Lie, and the
contents page is very eye-catching,
The mag’s stonking.
too. And last, but not least, I
would like to take this opportunity
to wish the Amiga Action team, the
best of success in the near future.
P.S: Could you please review
Deluxe Video, Kult and the
Actionware games in the near future?
M.H.R, Cleveland
AA: Thanks very much for your kind words,
M. Unfortunately, due to their age, we won't
be reviewing Kult or the Actionware games,
but here at Amiga Action we really like Kult,
and recommend it to anyone who fancies
something a bit different. Also, Deluxe Video
may be looked at by Pete Lyon in the future,
but at present it is too early to say.
Sound ideas
Congratulations on the release of a
new magazine! May I take this
opportunity to say how good it is to
see a new face amongst the crowd.
However, I do seriously hope that
your magazine will not take the same
road as many others have and become
a computer comic rather than a
serious mag. There are very few
magazines aimed at the 19-25 age
group, in fact I could count them on
one hand and still have half my
fingers and a thumb left! The sound
and graphics column looks promising.
How about a review of the sound
packages that are available (eg.
Soundtracker, Synthia, Sonix etc.)?
Maybe you could do an indepth review
a month? Also, perhaps you could
also .ask Mr. Brook how it is
possible to take an IFF sample and
convert it so that it plays on more
than one octave in Sonix. So far, I
have found out that a sample
instrument consists of two files;
these being a ‘instr’ file, and a
‘.ss’ file. Can you add anything Mr.
Brook? As you may have guessed, I am
a music person rather than a games
person, but I still enjoy a good
thrash on Ferrari F-1 and Kick Off
every now and then. Finally, how
about a prize for the star letter?
Thanks for listening, and I hope you
can use some of the suggestions.
P.S: Do you need anybody else to
do games/music reviews?
Gary Webster, Norwich
AA: |'m afraid that we have all the staff we
need, Gary. But keep writing in and who
knows? Across the months, Jason will be
looking at a number of music-related topics,
and, hopefully, he will answer a few of your
questions.
‘Ere we go, ‘ere we go, ‘ere we
GO...
At present, I am stuck. with
something of a dilemma. I have just
bought my Amiga, and, as a footy fan
and a newcomer to the world of Amiga
games, I would like to know which is
the best. From my friends, I have
heard that Microdeal’s Soccer is
pretty good, as is Microprose’s, but
I am not sure. So, out of Peter
Beardsley’s, Microprose’s,
Microdeal’s and the forthcoming Paul
Gascoigne game, please, please tell
me which one to buy.
Brett Davin, Surrey
AA: Funnily enough, you haven't listed what
we think is the ultimate in soccer games -
Anco's Kick Off. Featuring a full eleven-a-side
game, fouls, free kicks, and headers, it's a
must. The graphics are nothing special,
neither is the sound, but it plays like a dream
and is well worth a look. Besides, | like it
because | remain the undisputed Kick Off
champ of Gollner Publishing. (Well, almost!)
A letter from a female games-player'!
Your magazine is quite simply the
best thing since sliced bread. For
too long now, us Amiga owners have
had to put up with the opinionated
waffle of other mags who, just
because they have been games
reviewers for umpteen years, seem to
think that their view is the
definitive guide. Either that, or we
are subjected to childish cartoons
on the cover or reviewers who don’t
know their Falcon from their
Forgotten Worlds. Your magazine
offered a bright, fresh look, with
interesting articles and excellent
reviews which didn’t go over the top
on scoring. I was particularly
impressed with your Rainbow Islands
review which managed to cram
practically the whole game into two
pages - instead of four messy pages
which another mag spread it over. It
is also nice to see the return of
the multiple comments, which I find
a must in a mag. Basically, well
done, and keep up the good work.
Debbie Travers, Liverpool
AA: I'm glad you like the review system.
When we designed it, we wanted to give you,
the reader, as much info in as small a space
as possible, allowing us to cram more games
into each issue. As for the other, veteran
reviewers: don't worry, we play each game to
death and enjoy doing so, instead of looking
at each one and harping on about how good
games used to be.
f
@®eeeeeeeeeeeoeeeeeee@e?eeeteée ees @ @
A bit too harsh?
I have just bought your magazine
and, whilst reading the reviews,
noticed that you score games
considerably lower than other mags.
For instance, RVF scored a measly
66%, when I feel this great game
should have scored at least 80%+. I
can see your point in not going mad
over all of the releases, but surely
you could be a bit more generous?
Apart from that, your mag knocks the
socks off the competition and, with
its neat design and plentiful
colour, looks set to be a winner. As
soon as I get enough cash, I’ll
subscribe, but until then I’11 just
hover expectantly outside my
newsagents!
Graham Clarke, East Kilbride
AA: The reason we are tough with the games
is because we want to make sure that you
are getting your money's worth. Twenty to
twenty-five quid is a lot of money to spend on
a game, no matter how much hype it has
had, and we intend to guide you through the
pitfalls of buying games. RVF, we felt, was
instantly playable, but perhaps lacked the
‘spark’ needed for continual playing - a fault
a lot of games suffer from. But fear not, when
a game scores highly in AA, you can bet
your bottom dollar it's very good.
Questions, questions, questions
I must congratulate you on producing
the best ever magazine for Amiga
gamesters. ST Action was the best
for the ST, and now we have the same
for the Amiga. A better tips section
would be good (with more cheats).
Please could you also answer the
following questions:
1. When are the ex-Ultimate
titles being released for the Amiga:
ie. Sabre Wulf, Atic Atac etc?
2. Are there, or will there ever
be, any good boxing simulators on
the Amiga?
3. When is Elite 2 going to
arrive?
4. Will the Summer Games range be
released on the Amiga?
5. Will Super Sprint be released
on the Amiga?
Keep up the good work,
Jason Allen, Birkenhead
AA: In answer to your questions: 1. Sabre
Wulf will be arriving ‘very soon’ via the Again
Again label, with the others following close
behind. Teque (who converted Xybots and
Passing Shot to the Amiga) are doing the
conversion work, and so far it is looking very
nice indeed.
2. As far as | can remember, there is only
one boxing game on the Amiga, and that is
Linel’s The Champ. And this, I'm afraid, isn't
particularly brilliant, suffering from repetitive
action and dull graphics.
3. As for Elite 2, not very much is known
about this mega-game, only that David
Braben is handling the sequel, and that it will
be out next year.
4. Unfortunately, | don’t think we will be
seeing Summmer Games | and II on the
Amiga, which is a pity, as they would be
ideally suited to the Amiga’s superb
capabilities. Instead, you will have console
yourself with the excellent Games: Summer
Edition.
5. No, Super Sprint won't be coming out
on the Amiga.
Ego corner
AA: thanks very much to all of you for your
comments when entering our U.S. Gold
compo. Unfortunately, | haven't got the space
to print all of them, but here is a broad cross-
section of your views on our first issue.
...a good first issue which gave
good reviews of all the latest
games... Michael Kirkbride, Leeds.
.- Amazing! It’s a tust every
month... Mr A. Hall, Cheshire.
/. Wtterly brilliant, it is great
value for money and wipes every
other mag off the face of the
Earth... Michael O’ Leary, Leicester.
add a
Adrian
...-perhaps you could
percentage for playability...
Wilson, Manchester.
ct ‘Like ' tite ‘true comment’
screenshots - more of the same
please... Jim Hyde, Kettering.
please don’t print the compos on
the back of reviews...M.A. Reed,
Surrey.
...a bit too much space was given to
the previews, but overall well
done... Paul Dzirvinskis,
Nottingham.
...the best mag I have read for a
long time. A good size, and good
quality paper... Steven Wildgoose,
Dudley.
««L CGan’t find any faults... Steve
Lee, Guildford.
...a Man deserves a great magazine,
and this is the one (no, actually,
we are Amiga Action! - Ed)... David
Singh, East Ham.
...can’t wait for the next one...
Louis Reynolds, Middlesborough.
...-give more space to the adventure
and role-playing sections... Paul
Wadland, Dover.
..-just what the Amiga needed... P.
Cunliffe, Oldham.
«ee BRBLLLGIANT toe. David Wise,
Northfleet.
..-how about a coverdisk?... Mark
Bouskill, London.
...-totally awesome:
development in Amiga history...
Towhidi, Canterbury.
the greatest
Dara
...99% perfect. But if you add a
chart section it will be 100%...
Andrew McGarrigle, Mexborough.
». excellently produced with
brilliantly detailed screenshots...
Norman Winstanley, Macclesfield.
..-it gives a totally unbiased
opinion on every game. And you don’t
give in to hype unlike other mags...
Barry Stewart, Edinborough.
...-only one problem: I had to cut up
the Rainbow Islands review to send
this in... Ian Haddock, Warley.
odd hardware
London.
..-how about the
review... David Rom,
...A bit too games dedicated - I
like to pretend my Amiga is for
other things as well... Steven
Adamson, london.
...speedy reviews, good compos...
Geoff Battle, Colchester.
..-8o good that I subscribed...
Robert Hughes, Warminster.
...-more competitions, Dave
Jackson, Preston.
please...
lf you want to air your views on the Amiga
scene, games, the mag, or what really
annoys you or makes you ecstatic, then drop
me a line to:
Goliner Publishing, Latham House,
Quarry Lane. Chichester,
West Sussex. PO19 2NY.
Ultra smooth 8 way scrolling
Designed with small fully animated characters from Garvan
Corbett, the artist who brought you the classic hit
Barbarian
* Multi-directional free format weapon usage
*x Large playfield for even more action.
You're really up against it this time. Those revolting robots have finally upped and
turned their horribly powerful weapons on their kind human masters.
Someone's got to stop it before it all gets out of hand. | mean, you just can’t have
bloodthirsty Cyborg assassins roaming the streets of Dome City and expect the
citizens to put up with it. Who on earth is going to sort out the mess? You guessed
— you get the job.
Fortunately, you are just a little bit on the special side. You are Stryx, the product of
Project Alpha Secure, the meanest fighting, smartest thinking machine ever in-
vented. Half-man, half-robot, you are the business, the only one who can stop those
wicked Cyborgs.
You'll have to work hard, though, blasting hordes of the revolting creatures (such a
sad waste of scrap metal) and rescuing the keys to the Lifeforce.
So, Stryx, you'd better get your jet pack on for some high level robot stomping through
the immensely complex underground world of the Dome cities. It's a tough assign-
ment, and time is running out.
oe
a>
AMIGA/ATARI ST £19.95 Screen Shots from the Atari ST Version
PSYGNOSIS
FREEPOST
LIVERPOOL L3 3AB
UNITED KINGDOM
Tel: 051-709 5755
PSYGNOSIS
GAMES PEOPLE PLAY
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Not content with offering you, last
month, the chance to win practi-
cally every game U.S. Gold had
ever produced, this month we
have £6000 worth of software and
other goodies on offer including
225 games. 250 of you are going
to win - that’s a very high percent-
age of the likely entrants - so high
in fact that you'd be pretty darn
Oh no, these are huge, and
there are 20 available.
Mirrorsoft: Having seen our
mega-review last issue, | just bet
several of you are itching to get
your hands on a copy of Xenon ll.
Well, here's your chance, because
Imageworks are putting 10 copies
up for grabs! Not only that, but
there are also 10 limited edition
Xenon Il T-shirts on offer - just
watch your friends turn green and
Curl up when they see you in one
of those! In addition, Imageworks
are also offering 10 copies of
Blasteroids so that you can
destroy Mukor; and, last but not
least, those nice guys and gals at
Cinemaware are offering 10
copies of their oriental epic, Lords
silly not to enter!
Elite: On offer from the
Walsall-based wonder's, Elite, are
Six superb designer mugs; 5
Paperboy T-shirts to wear to
school with pride; 10 copies of the
superb conversion of Paperboy:
10 copies of the fly'n’shoot arcade
conversion, Space Harrier; 10
copies of... err... over-to-you-Bill, A
Question of Sport; and, finally,
loads of huge Paperboy posters.
What more could you ask for?
Electronic Arts: Never
ones to miss a good competition,
the ever-generous Electronic Arts
are offering a whole range of
winnable goodies. For instance,
there are 10 copies of Populous
just waiting for a would-be god to
win them; 10 copies of Bullfrog’s
other game, Fusion, awaiting take-
off; 10 delectable coffee mugs,
complete with the EA logo on the
side; and 10 EA T-shirts.
Accolade: [0 celebrate the
release of their Grand Prix Circuit
game, Accolade are offering sev-
eral large, glossy posters for your
walls. These posters aren't your
average Look-in pull-outs, though.
£6000 Mega Competition Questions
1. What is the highest-scoring game this month?
2. How many game screenshots are there in this magazine?
3. Name one of the key features of our reviewing system?
The answers to the £6k Amiga Action competition are:
Answer 1
Answer 3
re
IL eee ee eee eee eee eee ee ee a ee
IRR ee ee nea
SEER EEE EERE RHETT EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE HEHE EEE HEHEHE EEE HOE EEE EEE
of the Rising Sun.
Gremlin: Sheffield-based
Gremlin get on their bikes, as they
offer you the chance to walk away
with a copy of their Super
Scramble Simulator. Just think:
you'll be the envy of all your mates
as you tear up and down some of
the most rugged courses in com-
puter-game history!
Infogrames: From across
the Channel, our French chums
Infogrames have sent us a verita-
ble bundle of goodies. So, if you
fancy winning one of 10 copies of
the intergalactic Olympics game,
Purple Saturn Day; one of 10
copies of Kult; or a copy of
Operation Neptune; just get
beavering away and answer those
questions.
Hewson: How do you fancy
dressing up as the Angel of
Death? You do, well that’s OK,
because there are 10 superb
Asteroth: The Angel of Death T-
shirts for prizes, along with 10
copies of the game of the same
title. Also, there are 10 copies of
that well-known crypt-blaster,
Custodian, and, even better, there
are 5 copies of the superb Premier
Collection, featuring Exolon,
Nebulus, Zynaps and Netherworld.
U.S. Gold: Brummie won-
ders, U.S. Gold are offering an
absolutely huge selection. First we
have 10 copies of their excellent
blaster, Forgotten Worlds; 10
copies of the ‘dakka dakka boom’
flight sim, Battlehawks 1942; 10
mm GAMES! GAMES! GAMES!
DELIVERY BOY FROLICS IN PAPERBOY x10
ALIEN ACTION WITH SPACE HARRIER x10
BRAIN TEASING QUESTION'S OF SPORT x10
ALIEN BLASTING IN FUSION x10
IT'S A BITMAP MEGABLAST! XENON II x10
GO MUKOR BASHING IN BLASTEROIDS x10
REV UP SUPER SCRAMBLE SIMULATOR x10
SPACE GAMES IN PURPLE SATURN DAY x10
SCl-Fl MAYHEM IN INFOGRAMMES' KULT x10
FLIPPER FUN IN OPERATION NEPTUNE x10
BECOME THE BRAVE CUSTODIAN x10
HEWSON'S ACE PREMIER COLLECTION X5
CHOP, KICK AND PUNCH WITH SHINOBI x10
KILL THE ALIEN SCUM IN GEMINI WING x10
YOU HAVE 25 SECONDS TO WIN ROBOCOP x10
BECOME BIG, BAD ARNIE IN RED HEAT x10
LITERALLY LOADSA GREAT T-SHIRTS
LAST, AND QUITE PROBABLY LEAST, POSTERS
copies of the weird and wonderful
adventure, Zak McKraken and the
Alien Mindbenders; 10 Indiana
Jones and the Last Crusade T-
shirts; and loads of full-size Last
Crusade movie posters.
Virgin/Mastertronic:
Thogg¢ newly revamped people at
Virgin/Mastertronic are offering not
only 10 of their utterly trendy ‘Well
‘Ard’ T-shirts, but 10 copies of
Shinobi and 10 copies of Gemini
Wing. So, if you fancy a frantic
blast-to-the-death with Gemini
Wing, or a quick chop suey with
Shinobi, get writing.
Ocean: Mancurian wonders,
Ocean, are always ones to joit’ in
the fun, so here are their offegings:
10 cuddly Kiwi capers in*New
Zealand Story; 10 copies of that
cause of metallic mayhem,
Robocop; and 10 copies of Arnie's
Russian frolic, Red Heat. Not only
that, but there are also 10 T-shirts
up for grabs.
When you have answered the
questions, send your entry to:
£6000 Mega Compo,
Amiga Action
Golliner Publishing,
Latham House,
Quarry LanE, Chichester,
West Sussex.
PO19 2NY
The closing date for this
amazing competition is 10th
November 1989.
Amiga Action
Competition Rules
The Editor's decision is final and no
correspondence will be entered into
regarding competitions or the results
of competitions. All prizes are offered
believing them to be available. If,
however, a prize is unavailable we
reserve the right to substitute a prize
of comparable value. No cash alter-
natives will be given. Results will be
published as soon as possible and
prizes despatched as quickly as pos-
sible. Please refrain from phoning
regarding competition results or prize
delivery. Employees of Gollner
Publishing Ltd and companies partic-
ipating in competitions are not éligi-
ble to enter.
Amiga Action /ssue 002 4 6S
"It has been around since the dawn of the software
industry, but only now is it threatening to kill it. Piracy
has become an epidemic which is rapidly running out of
control. Games are no sooner released then they are on
the hacker’s network - sometimes even before. Steve
Merrett goes undercover and takes a look at what’s
happening in the world of cracking.”
Piracy, it seems, has been with us almost as
long as computers have. Even in the black
and white days of the ZX81, when people
were more then content to pay a fiver for the
privilege of guiding a black character square
around a maze of similar squares, or to pilot
When I began putting this
article together, | had
absolutely no idea about
where I would get samples
of the hacker's wares
from. However, the very
next day after I had
started looking, a package
arrived containing several
disks, with over two
hundred quids worth of
games on them....
£
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#2. .STARRT PLAVER
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However, the worrying
this is that, by the end of
my research, I had
collected over fifty disks,
containing hundreds of
pounds worth of stuff. If
it is this easy to get hold
of the games, it's no
wonder the software
houses are worried. And
hackers say that they
arent doing any harm...
AHOGHER HIcCe HEF IAM COMPARE!
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SHOOT OUT THE ELUE GENERATOR PANELS
§ FHE HEHE LEVEL
FEAM FOR HICh SCORES
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CAN BE BLOWN AYVRAVY FOR BIL SCORES
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2. .36VST ICH
MOUSE
a black character square through countless
waves of - you've guessed it - other
character squares, people were swapping
games with their friends. It wasn't until the
advent of Sir Clive’s ZX Spectrum, though,
that piracy hit the headlines. As people
DER REGRESS NO SM OACKRE OF "AE EOhE
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--» the next day,
another parcel arrived,
this time from a
different guy, and this
contained, amongst
other titles, Katakis,
Menace, Blood Money
and TV Sports:
Football. These titles
alone would have cost
me around £100.
began to tinker with their Soectrums, they
found a very useful MERGE command which
allowed you to look at the game's basic
loader. From this little acorn, people were
then realising that if they got the correct
address from this loader, the rest of the game
could then be saved down for someone else.
Funnily enough, it isn't this sort of piracy that
annoys the software houses. Sure, two
Spectrum owners linking their tape decks
together and copying games for each other
will cost them money, but their main concern
is with the organised hackers.
How it began
When the Commodore 64's price was
lowered by £100, a lot of gamers took one
look at the machine's superior graphics and
sound and bought one. Once again, not long
after, piracy reared its ugly head. Cracking
games on the 64 wasn't as easy as on the
Spectrum due to the different loading styles,
o}U) am el>scelg-mmolale m= Mmale lial el>1 ame) mm ong-lol.qialel
groups appeared on the scene. These
groups of three or four 64 owners would
meet up in one of their bedrooms, take a look
at the latest pirated releases they had
received from another group, and then set
about taking copies for themselves before
passing it on to the next expectant group -
and copying on this scale IS what the
software houses object to. For these
crackers, the essential kit would be a 64, a
disk drive and a hacking utility. With these,
they would then scour a game's code for
protection schemes and bypass them. In
fact, in my opinion, the main reason
Spectrum hacking never reached the
epidemic proportion that the 64 or Amiga’s
has now is because of the lack of a disk
drive. To beat the pirates, software houses
had to keep coming up with new protection
systems for their games, and before long,
names, such as Novaload (written by
Mercenary programmer, Paul Woakes),
became common. With each new protection
system that evolves, the crackers seem to
treat it like a challenge - perhaps just a minor
nuisance - and from pirates | have spoken to,
there seems to be a lot of glory if you are the
first person to receive a copy of a new game.
The Amiga and Piracy
Progression from the 64 to Amiga followed
practically as soon as Commodore's mean
machine arrived. When you think that having
software available for a new machine can
make or break its success, it is a surprise
that the Amiga ever got released. Years
ago, Oric owners, Linx owners and Dragon
owners used to moan about the lack of
software for their machine. ‘Yes, but if lots of
people rush out and buy— an
Oric/Linx/Dragon, then we'll start writing
games for them.’ said the software houses.
‘Yes,’ cried the computer buyer, ‘but why
Jaleo] (em mm o]U)’ar-Were)ag|e)0](~1an (ean 7a) (ea Mital-it-mr-1k~)
no games?’ - Catch 22. The first couple of
games | ever saw for the Amiga were
Microlllusion’s, The Faery Tale, EA's, Marble
Madness, and Cinemaware’s, Defender of
the Crown - none of which were originals.
Every Amiga owner | knew had access to
ripped-off stuff, and the general argument
was ‘one copy won't hurt’ or ‘why should |
pay the software house's extortionate prices,
when | can get it for free - twenty-five quid is
much too much to pay.’ What nobody
bothered to consider was that it was their
fofe)aidialer<iim e)it= (exam cat=|@mer-10\-\-16 mi dalcmerclanlcioma le)
be over-priced in the first place! Making the
whole situation worse, is the fact that piracy
is On an international scale. No longer is it a
group of four or five schoolkids saving down
copies: it is now organised bands. Groups,
such as the now-defunct Kent Team,
Quortex and Random Access are
particularly well-known, and between them
they get all of the latest releases and pass
them on. As well as pirating, these groups
are normally excellent programmers, whose
demos, although totally egotistical, utilised
features such as full screen pictures and
scrolling in the border, long before any
software houses did.
Stories about these groups are both rife
relale m=) ¢-\e[@|-1¢-1(=10 am @ al M-)(0]A Vm malcr- [ke Micrer-||[<10)
a group of hackers who thought that they
were some sort of mafia - even going so far
as to beat someone up when this guy had
ripped off their source code - if that is true
(which | doubt) then it is also hypocritical,
because what if the software companies
went round breaking the legs of people who
ia} e} ol-remrelameaal=iiamel-lanl- wan (0) ar-im oy- (ome l-1-B
methinks. One of the main things that gains
respect amongst the hacking fraternity is
OOZ2650
Hackers seem to have egos which match their personal software collection. Most of
them are very talented programmers who, for the most part, simply produce demos
with which they contact their mates. However, as shown in this copy of TV Sports:
Football we received, some hackers just can’t resist the odd chance to brag.
ST vingisel Score
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getting games first. To see how easy it is to
obtain cracked games, | put word about.
Within a week, | had received a bundle of
disks with up to three or four games per disk.
Amongst the titles | received were the
banned R-Type ‘variant’ Katakis; Sim City,
Vial rola imtoo) e-tale mals) anicelaammaliele|e-laal-tome-lare|
hasn't been released for review yet; and a
disk which consisted of both Mercenary’s,
Giganoid, Battleships and Starglider. All of
this stuff was totally unprotected, making it
easy to take a back-up and pass it on to a
friend, and this is how piracy becomes a
altct=le
When you consider that most games
cost between £20-25, you may think that the
software companies are rolling in it. Wrong.
For a game to make any amount of money, it
must sell within the region of 20,000 copies.
If a game gets released onto the crackers
network before its release - as, for instance,
BRR S
aed :
talents of the hackers, is the
fact that a lot of the hacked
games feature ‘trainers’. These
are essentially cheat modes that
boot up before you actually start
the game, allowing you to
choose starting levels, whether
or not you want infinite lives,
etc.
—— <2 ees”
’ we
Once again displaying the —
a ig
in the recent case of Palace’s Barbarian Il -
then it's a wonder there are any software
houses left. Palace’s Pete Stone is totally
anti-piracy, and says of the hackers: “They
seem to think that software houses are the fat
cats who just sit their absorbing all the
money. It's simple not true. To make any
money on a game, we have to sell a
reasonable amount. Before we see any
money, we have to pay out costs for
duplication, the programmers fees, for the
packaging, and for any advertising. THEN
we make money.” When asked about how
widespread it is, he answered: “Well, put it
this way. If a game gets onto the hacker's
network, if someone puts it onto a
Talcoigarcidlelar-lmeleli(cidiamoler-lce mm sla ame-tamalelels
tens of thousands of people could have a
copy.” Ocean's software manager, Gary
Bracey, also’ thinks that piracy is killing our
industry. He says: “People often criticize
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One of the main
Problems
software houses
are facing, is that
hackers are
‘crunching’ their
games. This
means that any
wasted memory
is removed,
leaving spare
disk space for
other games or
demos. This way,
up to six games
can be sent to
another hacker
on one disk,
Saving them
something like
£120 for every
compiled disk
r2
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available to courts to punish offenders. You
have been warned - software piracy could
end up with you in jail!
The Future?
Whatever you might think or have read in the
press, the computer software industry is not
loaded or filthy rich - its a very young
growing business which is shaky and
vulnerable. The people behind it are talented
and if they can't make ends meet producing
software they will find better ways of earning
a living - leaving you and | without
cyaltciatelialialem-ialemialale)’c-lé\omel-laalstom em @)i=\\A
Added to the fact that piracy is
damaging the software industry, is the plain
fact that copying software is theft - plain and
simple. Now if you're the kind of person who
OF sLiprre.m
received. would mug someone this may not mean
ourselves and others because games cost
five quid extra on the Amiga. The truth is: if
they didn't pirate the stuff in the first place,
then we would have begun developing on
the machine earlier then we have. If a game
is pirated, it isn't just affecting us, it's
affecting the programmer. This poor guy
sweats away in his room or office all day,
favsiale Mi Comeve)galcme| Om iiam-\ame)d(e||ar-lmele)ale1-10) melt
the perfect coin-op conversion, only to have
reWaal0 [ag] e\=1me)mere) 0)(o1- more lnt(omel0|m-lale mre le mel | anne)
his well-deserved royalties. If this continues
to happen, the programmers are going to
say ‘sod it’ and look elsewhere for money.
This way, it will be even harder for us to
develop, especially for the Amiga OR new
concepts, and eventually the industry will
collapse. THAT's how much damage they
are doing.” Gary also recognises the
hacker's talents, and feels that they are
wasted. A year ago, whilst | was writing for
ST Action, | received a hacked version of
(@lor-F-lae-m ©) olsie-1ele)ame \\ce)immene-lnalaniclomereluia
from three disks onto one. Of this, Gary said
"I'd give them a job, just think of how many
disks we would have saved.”
Where do they get itP
As mentioned, a sign of prestige within the
hacking network is getting the stuff early.
This requires contacts - preferably people
within development. It is sad to say, but from
people | have spoken to, it seems some of
the programmers are just as big pirates as
the crackers. | am not tarring them all with
the same brush, as it is only a small handful,
but | have heard reports of programmers
working on a game, giving their friends a
copy of their latest masterpiece to look at,
and then wondering why they are only
getting minimal royalties. Another way that
the crackers get the games early, is by
getting them from games reviewers. As a
magazine, we are in the fortunate position of
getting software before it is packaged and
released. Often we, and other mags, are
given unprotected versions of games, which
can, of course, get leaked. When this
happens, and the software houses find out,
we all suffer and nobody is given the
privilege of receiving early copies. To
combat this, though, we are often sent out
‘fingerprinted’ copies of games, which
enable the software house to trace the
source of the leak. As of yet, | haven't any
firm evidence to name names, but
apparently there are a couple of sources
within the magazines who frequently release
software to the hackers. Now, however, the
entire industry, programmers, software
houses, magazines, computer dealers, and
even the government, are making an all out
bid to stamp out this hi-tec disease.
Increasingly high penalties are being made
: was
_ particularly surprised to —
' One game i
much to you if, however, you're a law-abiding
citizen then you won't choose to steal
software by pirating. If you do the industry
will lose, magazines will lose, programmers
will lose, and above all you will lose!
see, was what appeared
to be the yet-unreleased
Black Tiger by U.S. Gold.
The main sprite in this
platform romp, Caverns of
Palle, looks suspiciously
like the knight from the
aforementioned Capcom
conversion, One of two
things could have
happened: either the |
programmer just wanted ~
to have a go at writing his
own version; or a very
» early pre-production
version may have leaked —
out.
Despite being banned, we also got hold of a copy of the now-banned Katakis. This
shoot’em-up was taken off the market after Activision complained about its similarity
to their big Christmas release, R-Type. This different sort of piracy, where a group of
programmmers copy someone else’s ideas, also saw the brilliant Super Mario Brothers
clone, great Giana Sisters, withdrawn from sale.
en Pee ne ce
IS YOUR LIFE LACKING A CHALLENGE?
NEVER MIND !
THE ANSWER TO ALL YOUR PROBLEMS
(AND THE CAUSE OF SOME NEW ONES)
IS HERE
* STUNNING 3D ISOMETRIC GRAPHICS
* OVER 250 DIFFERENT SCREENS & PUZZLES RANGING
FROM THE EASY TO THE MIND BOGGLINGLY DIFFICULT
* INTERACTIVE PLAYSCAPE
* INTELLIGENT OPPOSITION
* CUBIC CHAOS
Never Mind is a unique combination of arcade action and mind numbin
problem solving, and uses a clever blend of computer-generated and band
PSYGNOSIS
GAMES PEOPLE PLAY
crafted puzzles. Is yer brain up to the most intriguing challenge of the
decade? There’s only one way to find out . . .
Screen Shots taken from the Amiga and PC Versions
ATARI ST £19.95 AMIGA£19.95 PC £24.95 051-709 5755
fisticuffs.
= ieee
+
t
fal (Above) Dont
push me! If I
were them Id steer
clear of that flame-
thrower before I got
frazzled; but even
when you're not using
the flame-thrower the
oil continues to run
its
counterpart, Dynamite
Dux is slightiy more fun
when played by two
people. Core have done a
very good job with this
conversion, and it
features everything from
the coin-op. The graphics
are large and relatively
well animated, and a
catchy tune plays along
with the action. The major
problem with Dux, though,
is the repetitive nature of
the game. Hitting wave
after wave of nasties can,
and does, get tedious -
but not enough to ruin the
playable conversion.
Activision have certainly brought
out some original titles in their
time, but Dynamite Dux is
probably one of their most zany
ideas to date. In Dynamite Dux
you, surprisingly, play the part of a
24 Issue 002 Amiga Action
Lucy has been kidnapped and
nothing’s going to stand in the
way of you rescuing her. But it's up
with your mits for a little bit of
a (Right)
You dont
go through all
this hassle
unrewarded;
now youve
completed the
first level you
zoom through
the dimen-
sions in
search of Lucy
and her evil
abductor,
Achacha.
duck whose friend, Lucy, has
been kidnapped by the evil
Achacha, to face a fate worse
than death. Only you, Bin, and
your friend, Pin, can do anything
to save her.
Your journey starts within the
streets of your own hometown,
and even here the allies of
Achacha are rife, assailing you at
every turning. The only means of
defence the ducks have are their
fists which you can jab at enemies
that get within reach, but if the
firebutton is held down longer, you
can take a bigger swing at the
opponent inflicting more damage;
Whatever ©
you’ did,
he’s not too
pleased! As you
reach roughly
the half-way
mark shown
above, you
encounter your
first major
guardian. Step |
in between the |
fire that |
decorates the
ground and |
blast him with
your water-gun.
however, the streets and
surroundings are littered here and
there with weapons that can be
used. The humble rock is one of
the first items you will find, but
don't get over-excited because
you don't have an infinite supply,
although, if used wisely, you
should have just enough ammo to
get you to the next item; other
things such as bombs, flame-
throwers, and even water-guns
with an unlimited supply of water,
can be found.
Guardians appear at the end
of each level in uSual arcade
style, but unusually there are mid-
mW hen
creatures
start coming
down from the
heavens, it's time
to consider
whether chasing
after Achacha is a
good idea or not.
Unfortunately, I
dont think the
storm clouds are
going to stand
back while you
think about it.
level guardians to stand in your
way as well, and usually just
when you least need them. On
most occasions weapons are at
hand, especially the water-guns,
but now and again you have
nothing apart from maybe a
weapon you haven't quite used
up, or just your bare fists. Blasting
or beating the hell out of each
monster is usually the key to
getting to the next part of the
game, but having a certain type of
weapon will sometimes make life
a bit easier. Once both the mid
and end-of-level guards have
been disposed of you can gain
bral By total surprise you come straight out of the dimension tunnel and land in a
boxing ring, but with a punch like yours what have you got to worry about!
ie I thought
falling
stars were
meant to be
lucky, but
this one
certainly
isnt; avoid
the stars
that he hurls
at you, or
you wont be
around much
longer.
TAB ¥
ia iel:) ¢-ml a:
we re in
trouble here. A
stone golem
makes an
entrance from the ,
right-hand side of»
» the screen; <
hopefully, a few —
rockets will take .
him out. ~~
An appropriate tune suits
the game’s cute style
perfectly. there is very
little in the way of spot
FX, though.
Yo
access to the dimension door that
will lead you closer to the fair
Lucy and the evil Achacha.
Coming into contact with
monsters will deplete your P.W.
bar, and each time the bar
reaches zero you will lose a life:
but you have four lives to each
credit. Although your P.W., will
deplete regularly throughout the
game, pieces of food can be
Picked up after killing some
monsters, but don't hang around
too long in one position or else a
Dlack devil will turn up and eat
away at your P.W. bar. Every time
you complete a level you will gain
Great cartoon-style
graphics, with some
precise sprite collision
considering its 3D-ish
graphics. The monsters
are drawn well and,
unlike in some games,
you can actually tell what
they are meant to be.
£2Y%o
an extra life, and the life you are
currently on will be put back to full
power. After completing every two
levels you will enter into a boxing
match where you will have to fight
your friend Pin, the winner
receiving 10,000 points. There are
six levels to overcome before you
reach beautiful Lucy, but Achacha
will be throwing everything he has
at you.
a You get half-way across the bridge when they
open fire, but it's too late to go back now.
Luckily, you ve got your guided bullets, so let ‘em
have it.
a
. 4 . °*
ih. SUP AB
a Poof! A black devil appears from nowhere and just
stands there. But what you don't notice is that his
trident is eating away at your energy bar.
OVERALL RATING
‘Although Dynamite Dux isn’t one of the most famous
arcade games, it’s certainly not a bad game. Its graphics
are very nice and the sound is pretty good, too. Yet
again, the actual porting of the game itself from the
arcade is outstandingly good and very close to the
original. The game is great fun to play, with
aforementioned graphics and sound suiting the game
style perfectly, and the many different monsters a
items (along with a two-player mode) have been
fevers otteloees to — your interest tig Eppa a
Dynamite Dux didn’t really appeal to me, rm sorry ‘to sa %
Beating up foxes, rabbits and mice became very tedious
after a while. Basically a shoot’em-up, Dynamite Dux
lends itself more to the cutey side of games with its
cartoon-style graphics and comical situations. Al |
good fun at first, the game did become slightly boring
after a while, and if you’re looking for something wu
long-lasting appeal then it may be wise to Ic
elsewhere. 3
Amiga Action /ssue 002 25
Now's your chance to take on
the infamous Billy T. Kid (who's
he?) as you battle it out at the
pool table - 3D style. You can
choose to either play in a
tournament, try some trick-shots
or just simply practise to
improve your game. Six table-
icons at the top of the screen
allow you to move around the
pool table via the mouse. Two of
these also allow you to move in
and out of the table. Instead of a
cue, you have to imagine that
there is a line coming straight
out from the cueball to the centre
of the screen. By moving the
mouse the whole table rotates
around this imaginary cue.
Once your shot has been
The 3D perspective view
is outstanding and the
update on the pool table
is both quick and
smooth. Movement on
the balls is a little jumpy,
though.
Apart from the usual
‘clack’ as the balls hit
each other there is also
an option to turn the
crowd’s cheering on and
off. The cheering has
been digitized but only
lasts about three
seconds.
26 Issue 002 Amiga Action
correctly lined up you must
select how powerfully you wish
to hit the cueball. By clicking on
the powerbar you may increase
or decrease the power that you
put into the shot. Once you are
satisfied with the spin, you must
take your shot by double
clicking the mouse button. While
the balls are moving, the table
may be rotated and tilted so as
to see the action from all angles.
Your colour and the amount of
balls you have potted are
displayed to the left of the
screen below the table icons. If
you hit an opponent's ball then a
foul will be called and he will be
given a free ball.
The practice option allows
you to practise your play against
an opponent although you are
not actually playing for any title.
By entering the trick-shot editor
it is possible to define your own
tricks by selecting and moving
the balls around the table.
I must confess _ to
enjoying the odd game
of pool every now and
then, and thanks to
some nifty 3D
movement, 3D Pool
emulates the game well.
The problem is that, like
the real thing, it can get
very tedious after a
while. There is no real
sense of involvement as
you rotate the table, and
once you have
performed all of the
possible trick shots, the
game rapidly loses its
appeal. Not bad, but
there just wasn’t enough
there to hold my
interest.
OVERALL RATING
€
Mike
a nr Ps ¥ ' *
ite Ho-bood Aik
Kid |
One
(A Rena Lantph co etm Mmm NYY ESS YI SVS
: ‘
x :
f
bi i :
This is the list of all the player pairings in the tournament.
Each player has a characteristic style of play and can prove
extremely difficult to beat.
All the various options of 3D Pool are accessed via the main
menu. The different choices are selected by pressing the
small button next to the option you wish to change.
The edit trick-
shot option
allows you to place
the balls where you
wish so that you
can define your own
shot. The currently
selected ball will
flash at the top of
the display. In
addition, there is
also a ready-made
‘trick shot option
which allows you to
show off in front of
your friends.
sev t0 f
jlity $0
tm # a yey
Bs
PLAYING SKILLS OF THE MANAGER
This part of the game is a refined version of the KICK
OFF, retaining it’s pace, flavour and the universally
acclaimed game play. Play in your position or control
the nearest player. The first option combined with a
tailor made tactics can play havoc in the opposition
goal mouth.
MANAGERIAL SKILLS o_o
Devising winning tactics, acquiring players with right
skills from the Transfer market and selecting a team
with the right balance is the test of the Managerial
skills. He must aim to get promotion as quickly as
possible while he can still influence the results as a
player and before the age starts to effect his pace and
stamina. When to | is t
decision he
s |
TACTICS ,
Four well proven tactics are provided to suit most situa-
tions but you can design your own tactics. The pitch is
divided in blocks. Place the ball in a block and move the
players to the required position. Repeat the process for |
each block. See the tactics in action using the Ray Trace
facility.
THE PLAYERS
Over a thousand players in the four division league.
Each player with a unique combination of the follow-
ing_ attributes: SHOOTING ACCURACY, PASSING
ACCURACY, PACE, STAMINA, APPLICATION, AGG-
RESSION, HEIGHT and TACKLING SKILL.
These attributes are influenced by the player's Age,
Mental and Physical pee: Quality of Experience,
Weight, Temperament and Morale. There are several
other factors such as injury, disciplinary points,
unsuitable playing position which influence a player's
performance. —
Three Spirit Balls must be collected
to transform into the beast and
complete the level. The boars carry
the balls and must be killed before
they release them.
As a centurian you are
more prone to being hit, as
_ your firepower isn’t up to that
of your transformations. When
you are rejuvenated your
_ fighter flashes for a few”
As a simple Roman centurian, all you have
at your disposal is a punch and a kick.
Nevertheless, these weapons can prove pretty
lethal in the midst of a raging battle.
sarc +t
heads and tails off.
"| command you to rise from your
grave and rescue my daughter!”
These are the mighty words of
Zeus, who has returned life to
your soul in order that you may
rescue his daughter, the beautiful
283 Issue 002 Amiga Action
etetete
The enemy comes in many guises. The most deadly are
the dragon worms, who zoom up and down the screen
in an attempt to hit you. To kill them you must kick their
3 seconds to imply invincibility.
The green dragon is armed with a powerful flame. He is also armed
with a protective force field that, when activated, will destroy
anything caught within its radius.
Xow wAYa tj Ce], Bek Be
Athena, from the evil clutches of
Nelf - Lord of the Underworld. To
aid you in your quest, you, a
Roman centurian, have been
given the power of
metamorphosis by the God Zeus.
By collecting the three Spirit Balls,
that appear around each level,
you will be able to change into the
most powerful creatures in the
animal kingdom.
To reach Nelf and destroy
each of his many guises, you
must punch and kick your way
through the many levels of
mutated creatures and zombies.
You start your quest as a powerful
Roman centurian, your main
weapons are your hands and feet.
You also have great leaping
abilities, and these will help you to
escape from almost overwhelming
odds as well as leap across
gaping chasms. Nelf sends forth
leaping boars, mindless zombies,
charging insects and other
assorted mutations, in the hope
that you will meet your untimely
demise before reaching him.
Large pillars of rock also hinder
your path, and must be smashed
into tiny pieces so that you may
advance towards your goal. Some
boars, when killed, release Spirit
Balls. These balls are the key to
your success. By collecting all
three you will transform into a
powerful beast with special
abilities. The first is the Werewolf
with a power punch so
devastating that even the
meanest of foes will pose no
problem. Other transformations
include a green dragon, the
Weretiger and - the most
fearsome of all - the Golden
Wolfman. Aaaacocooo!
Once you have successfully
anihilated all foe, you will come
face to face with one of the many
guises of the evil Nelf. These
monster.
include a boulder-throwing rock
monster and an eye monster,
which spits out pulsating retinas.
Each guise has a weak spot,
which must be exploited to the full
if you are to destroy the monster
and proceed to the next level. If
you manage to complete a level
you will be awarded with a hefty
bonus. Unfortunately, your powers
are then snatched away from you
by Nelf, transforming you back to
a centurian on the next level. As
you progress on through the
game, you will be treated to a
view of what's going on in the
Underworld. In this crystal ball-like
image, you will see the evil Nelf
gloating over his stolen prize -
Athena.
The action takes place over
five levels of horizontally scrolling
landscapes. You begin the game
in the daylight, but as you near
the Underworld, so the backdrops
become dark and grim. Your
centurian is blessed with three
lives to begin with, but if he makes
it far enough into the level he will
be awarded a ‘continue game’
option.
By pressing the firebutton, the Werewolf shoots across
from one end of the screen to the other, destroying
anything that happens to be in his way. This can be useful
for playing down mass attacks and avoiding Nelf’s rock
Be (Right and inset) Nelf comes in
many guises. He first
transforms into a larger version of
himself before finally becoming the
true monster that he is. He will
have to be hit several times before
he is destroyed.
(Below) Each of
Nelf’s guises must
be hit in the right spot
a number of times
before they die. Hit
them correctly and
they will explode into a
ball of flame and you
will be awarded a
bonus.
Sound effects are in
abundance in Altered
Beast and are, generally,
of a high standard - the
digitized speech being
particularly effective. An
atmospheric title tune
introduces the game.
Although the sprites have
been well drawn, the
animation is very poor
indeed and therefore
movement is slightly jerky
in places. The overall
presentation is very nice
with some neat little
touches here and there.
lovec ered Beast in the arcades, and although the
| presentation of the conversion is very neat and tidy, the
game itself came over as a bit of a disappointment. The
sluggish responses and jerky movement tended to
detract from the actual game itself. The graphics have
been well defined. Unfortunately, the collision detection
is appalling, and I regularly found myself dying without
being touched. If you really must have Altered Beast,
then take a look before you part with your cash.
If this is going to be the
standard of Activision’s
conversions, then I can’t
wait to see the likes of
Powerdrift and Galaxy
Force on the Amiga.
Everything from the coin-
op has been retained: the
large sprites; the
constant barrage of large
enemy, and the difficult
end-of-level guardians -
and, put together, these
make Altered Beast a
superb conversion. The
graphics and sound are
excellent, and produce a
nice atmosphere. I can
see the gameplay getting
a trifle repetitive, but as
this is a fault of the coin-
op, there was nothing the
programmers could have
done. Basically, this is a
top-notch conversion that
is well worth a look.
Amiga Action Issue 002 29
BD POOL eens
=0= The Instant Catalog
SU POG) icvocvatapedenniocnvans 12.99
ALP. 8B. “a Point Bulletin)... 12,99
BoP cca sus dasneateaceiiests 12.99
Advanced Rugby Simulator...... 12.99
After Burner.........c eee eee 15.50
Airborne Ranger,.,............ 15.99
Archipelagos..........ccceeres 15.99
ASLATOED.... die vducadesecsevesve 15.50
Balance of Power 1990......... 15.99
RelTGS; caociiersetacnaneses 12.99
a EO ee aE 12.99
Bava 5: TALC, ss cesvcasaicis-ctaia area acasetore 7.99
Batwan - Caped Crusader....... 12.50
Batman - The Movie............ 15.50
Battle Chess.......... ime CRG 17.99
Battle Hawks 1942........00005 18,99
Battle Tech........-.e0eceeees 18.99
Reged VOY... Sokaccwomenene 15.50
BISStOPOLES 06 cccekecvavaw aan 12.99
Blood BORE, ...04 ocosnegeaigen-es 15.99
Bloodwych. .........c..cesseees 15.99
California Games...........++. 14.95
Castle Warrior. isis ccsneeess 16.95
Chaos Strikes Back.........-.. 14.99
Chariots of Wrath... cose neies 16. 95
Circus Attractions............ 12.99
Crazy Cars 2.....: 2 ee ee 12.50
Bode: WE Qivineancdsceciaiee cai 16.95
Demon's Winter...............+ 16,95
DOMES POT is coccsnuebnxestnaes 14,95
Double Dragon.............00s5 12.50
Dragon Ninja............cccees 13.99
Dungeon Master Rditor......... 6.99
Dungeon Master.........ce00ees 15.99
RITE. . owner stioccswsnes mula 15.99
SAAN ADD cs icloiceiecce o:vtia tent 12.50
F-18 Combat Pilot Se pae SARs 15.99
Falcon - Missions ............ 12.50
BAL COW: cosine wiucsainsesceee meee 14.99
Federation Of Free Traders.... 19.99
Ferrari Formula One........... §.99
AIRBORNE RANGER oseeessssesersnsee 18,95
ALTEN SYNDROME ecscersssnssssesseesBa 99D
ALTEN LESION .sstscunsinnnssuenesstonane
BALANCE OF POWER 1990 .csssnsooons 18,95
BATMAN THE MOVIE esevosnssorseesee 18,95
BIONIC COMMANDO) secre soseenenedi 99
BLOOD WY CHsmesennsnnesnnersonenne 9,99
eran! Y.
18.95
eee |
since BD
Football Director 2........... 12.50 pajnbow Warrior..........e.... 15.99
Forgotten Worlds.............. A ee lh SE ee nae 12.99
Garfield - Winter's Tale...... 12.50 fad bidktetag..... csccieees- 21.95
Giants Compilation............ 21.99 Rick Dangerous............:.-. 16.50
Gilbert... ...cseeeeeeeeerenes ba TS ee 12,50
Grand Monster Slam.......,.... 12.50 pooket oe a ee, 15.99
Gunship. ....-.ssserevsneeevers 15.99 Rodeo Ganes.........-0s0cecees 12.99
Hawkeye... 0... cvseeeeeeee eens 13.95 Run the Gauntlet.............. 11.99
WO CT) eee -+ 13.95 cane - Genes Creator.......... 19.50
Hollywood Poker Professional... 12.50 SUE a toiconceies 15.99
Indiana Jones - Action Game... 19.50 Gijgyore. oo. ...cececceeeeee 12.50
VAWS. ors eceeeerer eee esenees ees EUR ie capavdonsevinn 13.99
Kenny Dalglish Soccer Manager. 12.50 siseping Gods bie............. 15.99
ROR Bet Fy canes eine inantep anit 12.50 Space Quest 9...2......ceseee 16.99
King of Chicago { 1 Mb Only ). 21.95 ree a oy 15.99
Kings Quest 4................ 17,99 BSRPPEEES) —. Oeitheiencoastricae 13.95
ee Salkis's Wawra wale 15.99 Story So Bar Vol Lo.s.ccecesee 15.99
Leaderboard Birdie............ 14.99 stunt Car Bacer........ es 15.99
Legend of Djel...... sce 8.99 talespin Adventure Creator... s 99
Licence to Kill............... Aa On er) ee 99
Life & Death............s.0e0 B98, Par gbah,,, ..0crvesceecrecesvnves ; 95
Lombard RAC Rally............. 15.99 teenage Queen..............0-. 12.50
Wictoprose Soccer............. 15.99 thunder Birds...........00000- 15.99
OSTEO MRTG Ee Bec cctisns eeayereenettin 14.99 fhonder Blade................. 14.99
OF POM wcaetetessctcsacvess 15.99 Pine Punner...........c.0sc02- 12.99
Murder in Venice.............. 16.95 tine Scanner..........ec0se0e. 14.99
Music Construction Set........ 7.99 Times of Lore:.....<<e.ccsecce 15.99
HAY POURS Nitec cal ctesisnhese. 13. 9§ Tom '& Jerry.n..scccceceecureee 12.99
New Zealand Story............. 13.95 total Bclipse...............-- 15.99
Night Dawa seen eseueresenenetes 16.95 track Suit Manager............ 12.50 &
Gparation fold. cisccssccwcoks 12.50 ieee fo et, 18.99
Paladin. . sseNwesusss weresneres 12.99 a ee 15.99
Personal Nightware............ 21.95 Vigilante.........c0ccseceeee- 10.99
Phobia pe eSalameidawssaaecses te 15.99 "To a le eee teas 12.99
Pirates PEE wo coin Vkexts 15.99 yay in Widdle Rarth.......... 15.99
Police Quest 2..............4. 17.99 yoing RO Ee eet 15.99
Populows.........2-.0essereres DTN MOREE als oevaceennectane 13.95
Precious Netal................ 13:99 yenon 2 - Megablast........... 16.99
WWartz.. 2 eseeversreerereees 12.99 Yenophobe,............-.0+-.0. 15.99
A-TYPE... eeeeveceneceweeenes UL aan 13.95
RV Honda... ....- 2... sere 12.50 tak WeKracken.............-.-. 18.99
Rainbow Island.............005 liad eee 16.99
INDIANA JONES .....
KICK OFF
KINGDOMS OF ENGLAND ssne19.95
A COMPLETE SERVICE IN COMPUTERS AND SOFTWARE
PRECIOUS METAL wernosrnsnesssonoenrson 22.99
RICK DANGEROUS cerns sonssensene19,95
ROBOCOP...
SHADOW OF THE BEAST osessssnsen 27.95
SHOGUN
SHOOT EM UP CONS KIT .nssesnenson22.95
SILKWORM...
SLEEPING GODS LIE osesssssnesnosnons 18,95
SOLDIER OF LIGHT eseennessenrneneendBy 95
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SPHERICAL
STAR WARS TRILOGY senses ssosnensee18,95
TALESPIN svn
TANK ATTACK esesnnesonerennnsoneseneL9,95
FUNSCHOOL 2 UNDER 6 -asersnsosnens 16,95
FUNSCHOOL 2 ¢-8......
(ean es
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LICENSED TO KILL... 116,95
LORDS OF THE RISING SUN semenu-22.95
95 | | MICROPROSE SOCCER snenemonen 18.95
DELUXE PAINT III smowe695 | | MILLENNIUM 22 son 1995
DOMINATOR .. smneeel8.95 | |MR HELI. 1895
DRAGON NINJA wuul9.95 | |MUSICX. 199.00
DUNGEON MASTER sennanrsnonent8.95 | |NEW ZEALAND STORY 19,95
FI6 COMBAT PILOT eenennneneneneel9.95 | | PALADIN. 16.95
FALCON MISSION DISK eserannom-14.95 | | PERSONAL NIGHTMARE seeneern22.95
PHOBIA... 19.95
POPULOUS 19.95
POPULOUS - PROMISED LAND .....895
FORGOTTEN WORLDS senenmennel6,95 | | POSTMAN PAT sennerenernencenner one B.95
FUNSCHOOL 2 OVER 8 16.95 | | POWERDROME eeneeunnneneonenenanl9,95
=e!
INSTANT, Boston House, Abbey Park Road, Leicester LE4 5AN
Mail Order Only. State Computer's make and model.
P&P: 50p on orders under £5. EEC 75p per title.
Whole World £1.50 per title for Air Mail.
New titles sent on the day of release.
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. 219/221 CANNOCK ROAD
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MONDAY TO SATURDAY
XENON II MEGABLAST sesoorsesonee 18,95
XYBOTS noe
ZORK ZERO...
REPLACEMENT MOUSE...............29.95
AMIGA TRACKBALL.......27.95
MOUSE LEAD
AMIGA TO SCART 00a encscnesorseneanneL 1.95
STAR LC10 PRINTER....................-..175,00
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STAR 124-10 aes canna 260.00
PRINTER LEAD Wn... sossconensnsonnsneeree 1.95
MOUSE MAT
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STAR LCi0 I] PRINTER.....................199.00
PHILIPS 8833 MONITOR....._..___.240.00
<sasspiesbpinscincinasttessaseoueer sD
mane |}
aeicintimeens et
ssstonstnahatanssanesasssanssons eID
nsession te
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Don't forget to
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m on th. Za
Well the winter season is
really hotting up! The top houses have
literally hundreds of games entering
the later stages of production.
Fortunately, you don't have to worry
about staying up to date with all the
news - just keep reading Amiga
Action. Next months key feature is a
full report from the 1989 Personal
Computer Show. Also on offer several
exclusive reviews of some rather jucy
potential Christmas hits - say no more!
On sale at the beginning of November.
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SUPERB THE BEAST IS AMONG US
FREE ‘T’ SHIRT This is it - A whole new dimension in computer games
50 frames per second arcade quality scroll
CRI 350 screens - 132 unique monsters
See rae 13 levels of parallax scrolling
oa 900K of emotive music
2Mb of graphics compressed in two disks.
RNeee IE eee A Nie A TRULY MASSIVE GAME FOR THE AMIGA 500, 1000 & 2000
oD EeIGN - PSYGNOSIS - GAMES PEOPLE PLAY
Screen Shots from the Amiga version AMIGA £34.95/ATARI ST COMING SOON
2 Meet your loyal robot commando. Looks familiar, does he?
Your droid hovers above the ground - probably due to the fact
that he has no legs - and is armed with a lethal laser.
a The Steel complex is littered with rogue droids who, if they
can’t sap your energy with laser shots, will fly straight into
you, buffeting you all around the play area.
ee Oe
E SILMALS
Pot Your droid is armed with a powartal: laser gun which should,
hopefully, stop your enemies dead in their tracks.
Unfortunately, some will perform kamikaze tactics against you.
serei2”
co
Tica "hes ca Mca Maca Maar Mee ual
ees
- z.
wi EE pes Ty +:
“Te - = al qFiLe if
cartridge slots that you will need to stop the robot invasion.
ZZ |ssue 002 Amiga Action
These terminals are the major aim of your quest, as these contain the eight
Your once peaceful spaceship,
Steel, has been overrun by hordes
of rampaging robots. You, as a
robot commando, have been
assigned to destroy the droids
and save the ship. Armed with a
powerful laser gun, you must
collect 8 catridges that are
scattered around the ship's bays
and place them into their relevant
Hmmm, I’m not quite sure
what to make of Steel. At
first it’s a playable little
game, but there is very
little variety within the
gameplay, and after a
while my _ attention
started to wander.
However, every now and
then I would find myself
loading it up for a quick
Nothing is
blast.
particularly good about it:
the graphics are adequate
and the sound is limited,
but the game has a
certain charm. The one
major fault against it,
though, is its lasting
appeal. After about an
hour It! had nearly
completed the game, and
for twenty quid I would
expect more - a lot more.
reerFre
2i 2M
. Aaah! | Energy o
energy. Your robot’s only
"sources of power are the’
refuelling link-ups that are
dotted oe the oe
il
lovely =
It’s always a wise move to keep your eye on
your energy score, or this may become a
cartridge slots. Unfortunately,
these slots are closed, and to
open them you have to link up
with the terminals around the ship
Once you have successfull)
linked up with a terminal, b\
pushing the joystick up, you ma\
enter a sub-game. The purpose
here is to blast away at the
rotating drivers that protect the
data-bus, until a hole has been
knocked through, giving you a
chance to destroy it, thus opening
one of the cartridge slots. There is
a time limit to beat and failure to
do so sees your robot lose some
of his valuable energy. The data-
$#08 264
regular occurrence.
bus is not defenceless, and will
fire electrical pulses back at you.
Occasionally, icons are fired at
you, and while some are useful,
others are not. Some icons
enhance your laser gun's firing
speed, others decrease the time
limit, making your goal that little
bit harder.
Your robot needs energy all
the time and conflict with other
robots may leave him feeling a
little drained. Refuelling terminals,
which are indicated by an
oscillating graph on _ their
screens, are located randomly
around the complex. Pushing up
the joystick and holding down fire
replenishes your energy, while
pulling down on the joystick
decreases it; the energy used up
does have a bearing on your
score. If your energy gets
reduced to a certain level, the
warning indicator at the bottom of
the screen will tell you. Should
your energy be reduced to Zero,
your droid will explode in a ball
of flames, your mission failed. You
only have one life, so make it
count. The droids that you ‘bump’
into on your way react in different
ways and have different
strengths. Some will just bump
into you, which will deplete your
energy, others will fire a laser at
you. The speed of movement
may also vary amongst the
enemy robots. Some crawl along
the complex corridors while
The opening sequence
tune has a really thumpy
beat, but that’s where it
ends. The in-game effects
are really just average
and could have been
much better.
1 ut Fone Ti
did prove a
To open the cartridge slots, you must
accessible via some of the terminals. In the sub-game, you must
If your robot commando
isn’t an exact rip-off of
The Blacks Hole’s Bob,
then > rm not Steve
‘Whitey’ | White.
Nevertheless, this doesn’t
detract from the game at
all. Steel looks and plays
very well, although
shooting while having to
move at the same time
little
frustrating at times. The
game itself can be quite
engrossing and lends
itself perfectly to
mapping. Although I can
see the novelty wearing
off sooner or later, Steel
is definitely worth a look.
others zoom around like there's
no tomorrow.
Your robot can carry only
three cartridges at any one time
and so several journeys will be
necessary before all the slots
have been filled. Somewhere in
the ship's complex is the
cartridge room. It is here that the
cartridge slots are located.
Warning is given if you are near
the cartridge room. Any warning
messages are displayed at the
bottom of the screen as is your
energy remaining and the amount
of cartridges you have collected.
Graphically, Steel has
been well drawn and
nicely coloured. The main
character - the robot
commando «- is just like
Bob, out of Disney’s, The
Black Hole.
a
sm ; - ;
| #2 aeaet
destroy the data-bus which is protected by the rotating drivers.
enter a sub-game, which is iB
i OVERALL RATING
7 | PROMIMITY ti “i F aie a ,
aFLERI o22 0S <<]
The cartridge room is where you must place all your collected
a cartridges. If you completed the sub-games successfully all
the cartridge slots should be open.
[es 5 x
RL ee f e:
PRoMIMT ¥
When the puredas room is near, a warning appears in the
warning display at the bottom of the screen. You must then
hunt out the room so that you may place the collected cartridges.
wz, reek.
a eee e+ 4%
me veneeenereraenttt i
or
A 4 OR oe
‘imeem Nig Fw Minis me a
i 9m oan
(Above) The
mot ete
spaceship is large
and extremely
complex. It may
be worth your
while making a
map, as it is
extremely easy to
get lost in the
myriad of rooms.
Here we see the
medical bay.
If hit enough times the data bus
will explode, opening one of the
eight cartridge slots in the cartridge
room.
Amiga Action /ssue 002 33
IMPRESSIONS £19.95
EMPEROR
Due to your enormous success
with the huge mining resources
at ETJ quadrant, your promotion
from deputy controller, to
controller has come sooner than
you expected. Unfortunately, the
reason for your promotion to a
new home planet in the HQM
quadrant wasn't entirely based
upon your previous success.
Even though HQM quadrant is
remote and unfamiliar to you, the
Board of Over-Controllers are
sure that success will be yours.
You start at your new home
2 ULM POs
mY OF
thriur
Marcerur
Ore cgraded:
rice:
aah
BUY DESTROYER MK a
83067
So Money is no problem at the Hesinidings but
it soon runs out. Buy as much equipment
as possible and get it out there to make up
for the money you’ve just spent.
OF THE MINES
planet, with a small fleet of ships
under your control. Your
objective is to analyse the
Surrounding moons for minerals,
and then extract the resources
and sell them. There are three
main varieties of ship that can
be bought: Explorers,
Transporters, and Destroyers,
with several different models of
each. The Explorer is the most
essential craft in the fleet: this is
the mining vehicle that will be
placed on a moon to drill for
minerals. Some of the newer
el lela ed en
6
After scanning the neighbouring space, you pick up
the position of the six planets in this region. Now
you have to get your team out there for a survey.
34 Issue 002 Amiga Action
ee AO
models are also equipped with a
MEAU (Mining Exploration
Analysis unit) enabling you to
analyse a moon before landing
on it, for, once landed, your craft
doesn't have the facilities to take
off again, and considering there
are six regions to the KQM
quadrant, each region
containing six planets, and each
planet having six moons, you
cant afford just guess. The next
ship to be acquired is the
Transporter, which as you might
expect from the title, allows you
to transport the minerals back to
your base. Last, are the
Destroyers, security ships which
patrol the area disposing of the
troublesome Knitzis, who class
you as an intruder.
To the right-hand side of the
screen is the icon from where
you can control nearly all the
game via the mouse; moving
ships, drilling moons, and even
watching your bank balance are
all watched and controlled from
Once your
ships arrive
at the new-
found moon,
your Explorer
craft comes
into action
bringing up the
statistics of the
moon below.
Your fleet is in dock, but it won’t
be long before they are off
searching the various regions for the
oh-so-precious minerals.
OVERALL
RATING
Emperor of the Mines is
certainly a game for the
strategically minded,
but even so, it will not
appeal to them all. | got
the impression that the
game was going to be
very similar to Millenium
2.2, but once I'd played
it | realized how wrong I
really was. The graphics
are of very poor quality,
the sound is virtually
non-existent and the
controls are very
awkward. As far as I can
see, this is unlikely to
appeal to many people.
here. AS you progress through
Emperor of the Mines you go
through different episodes of the
game, testing your logic, and
humour, to the utmost.
it has to be said that the
graphics of Emperor of
the Mines are some of
the worst I have ever
seen on the Amiga. The
sprites are bland and
uninteresting, as is the
sound, which is
extemely scarce. I found
the control system very
awkward and I soon
became very frustrated
with the whole game.
This may appeal to
those with a strategic
bent, but as_ for
everyone else, it may be
wise to steer clear and
look for something
Hardly any sound at all,
the most notable being a
short piece of sampled
speech which I couldn’t
understand.
2Yo
GRAPHICS
Although graphics are
not necessary in a game
such as this, it wouldn’t
have hurt to enhance the
graphics a little bit. Very
sub-standard, even by 8.
bit standards.
OY%e
AT OVER 90%
THEY CAN’T ALL BE WRONG!
ST ACTION
“Demands your undivided attention and sets your pulse racing.
Quite simply the best ST.Shoot 'em-up to date. Exercise your
greed in this supreme arcade experience.”
GAMES MACHINE — ‘STAR PLAYER’ 90%
lrridescent, irrepressible and utterly playable. In one player
mode it’s great, in two it’s incredible fun.”
ZZAP—‘SIZZLER’ 94%
“Blood Money ranks as an all time Zzap Office favourite.
AMIGA FORMAT—‘FORMAT GOLD’ 92%
“This game is so visually brilliant and possesses those classic
addictive qualities, that once you've picked up your joystick
you just won't want to put it back down again.”
SMASH MAGAZINE—‘GOLD MEDAL AWARD’
“Graphics 10 Sound 10 Motivation 10 Value 10 - Aperfect score!”
PSYGNOSIS — GAMES PEOPLE PLAY
AMIGA/ATARI ST £24.95
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PSYGNOSIS
FREEPOST
LIVERPOOL L3 3AB
UNITED KINGDOM
Tel: 051-709 5755
Pavailiet-Wolel¢-\-1alte ale) (p
OVERALL RATING
The intro sequence is one of the best ever seen on the
Amiga. The player skates up and strikes the puck at your
monitor, which smashes to reveal the screen tube and other
electronics.
a As you
stare your
face-off
opponent in
the eyes the
puck is
dropped by the
referee. Swing
that stick to
gain the
advantage. If
you foul your
opponent then
he is awarded
a free face-off.
| After a foul has been called you will be treated to a view of
the referee calling the foul. Although the referee isn’t
present on the rink. He will make an occasional appearance
near the barriers.
fed| The greatest
treat of the
whole game has
to be the
digitized fight
sequences.
Although you
lose complete
contro! of your
player while the
fight’s on, the
visual pres-
entation is
outstanding.
iL Things can get
pretty darn’
exciting around the
opponents’
goalmouth. You’re
desperately trying to
get the puck into the
back of the net, but
the defenders just
manage to keep it
out. Infuriating!
36 Issue 002 Amiga Action
MINDSCAPE £19.95
GRETZAY SHAE}
The sport of lce Hockey has
always thrilled its audiences
with its speed of play and
sometimes violent nature. All
the various thrills and spills are
present in Bethesda’s, Wayne
Gretzky Hockey. The main
menu allows you to toggle the
style of play, your own personal
team status and any other
features relevant to your game.
You can choose to be a player
or coach. There is also an
option to play both. Four team
levels are also available - from
High School to Pro. Fight is an
excellent option which actually
specifies whether your team will
ruff-and-tumble it out with the
opposition. If you do manage to
get yourself into a brawl then
you will be treated to a cinema-
style view of the proceeding
scrap. Be warned though:
fighting does not go down too
well with the ref, and penalties
may be awarded.
The match begins with the
face off. AS soon as the puck
stops flashing, it’s time to swing
that stick, and hopefully whack
it into your opponent's half. The
player under your control sports
a natty white helmet for instant
recognition. Control of the
player on the ice can prove a
little tricky at first as the turning
radius isn't as sharp due to
inertia. Players can barrack
each other against the barriers,
trip one another and even start
full-blown riots. Should you do
so, your player will be
penalized and eventually sent
off, leaving you with a limited
amount of players. As the game
progresses, new players will be
sent on to the rink as the
previous line may eventually
tire. It is, therefore, essential
that the lines be placed in their
correct order for maximum
The intro sequence is
excellent as are the
digitized fight
sequences. The players
and the rink have been
well designed with the
arcade element in mind.
aes all
Although nothing special
graphically, Wayne
Gretzky’s Hockey rates
alongside the likes of
Kick Off playability-wise.
The graphics are small
but move swiftly, and the
game’s control system
simulates the sliding
motion of the players
perfectly - with the
brilliant attention to
detail even showing the
scratched ice trails
behind them! A full range
of features is offered,
including replays and
Face-Offs - and there is
even an option to beat
your opponent up if he
fouls you - and this all
makes for a really
enjoyable game.
Definitely worth a look.
If you thought Anco’s
Kick Off was good, then
you’ve seen nothing till
you’ve played Wayne
Gretzky Hockey.
Although ultimately a
simulator, the arcade
element has also been
included to make the
game easier to get into.
The violent nature of
Hockey has _ been
captured perfectly, with
digitized fight se
and a veritable array ‘at
ce Hockey
totally flexible. This
game is totally addictive
and, rm Pacslage will appeal
a eEROS: of
A real thumpy beat has
been assigned to
Hockey, and
complements the game’s
fast and furious pace
well. The in-game effects
have been digitized and
sound tota
: Eoeish : ¥ Ne a Peale we a
: ¥ - = vy
INFESTATION
Are you ready for a new level of realism in computer games? Are you prepared
for an atmospheric experience you will never forget? Can you cope with super-
fast solid 3D vector graphics? Will you venture into the unknown, alone, and
armed only with a single pulse rifle? Can you overcome the INFESTATION?
INFESTATION takes computer games" to a new level of realism. It creates a
complete environment ‘stunningly rendered i in sper rots solid 3D vector graphics.
objects just as you would inar
unlike those on Earth, the other
at all .
oad task as Kal Si
lissi
have to. aap with hostile droids and
i unknown.
alone .. . it may well be yous cle 4S op
Screen Shots from the Atari ST version ~ AMIGA/ATARI ST £24.95
PSYGNOSIS — GAMES PEOPLE PLAY
PSYGNOSIS
FREEPOST
LIVERPOOL L3 3AB
UNITED KINGDOM
Tel: 051-709 5755
Ey There are
four sectors
to each round.
The stage you
are presently on
is highlighted.
Each map gives
@ rough repre-
sentation of the
course you must
take as you
progress.
File No.
6123
Black |
Turtle
ews ~s LIaMS Bem:
Pe ete
ral You begin the game with an unlimited supply of throwing
stars. As you advance further into the game, extra weapons
“wero
“9
7s
Sr BOE i Me 2 eS ae: OF
. ere ST ek eee
eS Kee e BS 2S Sees
Ic ca =r
lew ToVene>
ewes: = ae A
tef? i> "se
[Hiv ap ype co a eth eo
can be collected and used against your adversaries.
9 *RI 2M
A sword player
guards many of *°@>sG@ir«
, the civilians. If you
don't dispose of him
quickly he will throw
his sword which will
twirl through the air
oe a a
- its owner.
SAVE eee
a The enemy
come in
many guises,
including
Spiderman, who
scales his way
down the walls
before finally
leaping on you.
If you want to
kill him first,
then you’re
gonna’ have to
jump up and fire.
38 Issue 002 Amiga Action
28
<a) | Ones
ce ee
VIRGIN £19.95 —
You are Ken OH, master in the
deadly art of Ninjitsu. Your hands
and feet are lethal weapons, as is
your skill with Shurikens, swords
and Nunchukas. You had heard of
the notorious terrorists, the Ring
Of Five, and their menacing
reputation, but never dreamed
that you would be assigned by
your government to actually
infiltrate their base and rescue the
Captive civilians who are being
held against their will. Before
PARTE
starting your quest you are shown
a map of the area you are about
to infiltrate together with the
sector that you will be starting on.
Armed with an unlimited
supply of Shurikens, you begin
your mission at the entrance to
the Ring Of Five's base. Using
your acrobatic skills you must dive
and jump across the platforms
and boxes while throwing stars at
the hordes of thugs, punks and
sword players. The sword players
take several hits before dying,
The Shinobi’ coin-op
featured super-smooth
scrolling, a large variety
of thumpable attackers,
and a long-term task. The
only thing retained in this
conversion is the variety
of enemy. The scrolling is
extremely jerky, making
the pasty-coloured
backdrops hurt the eyes,
and the gameplay is
repetitive. Each assailant
can be dealt with in much
the same way, making the
game far from exciting,
and ensuring that Shinobi
is a sub-standard
conversion.
Fe IN aI inn om th PR FA Pe Fey ait we
oF os
To gain an extra bonus, and hopefully some Ninja magic, you
must enter the bonus stage. Here you must guide the hand in
the direction of the oncoming Ninjas and release the Shurikans.
and if they aré not killed quickly |
they will throw their swords at you.
As you progtess through the level
yOu must save the kidnapped
civilians. Once saved; the civilians
“may increase -your energy or arm.
you with ‘powerful weapons, such
as "guns, Nunchukas, chains and .
bombs. If you manage to ‘get
close enough it is possible to
draw your sword and hack your:
opponent to death, but, tet them
get too close and your energy will
be depleted until you die. If you
manage to rescue all the children,
who.are displayed at the. bottom
of the screen, you will be given a
time bonus and allowed to
progress .onto the next level. The
enemy come in many guises,
including SPIDERMAN! Sword-
wielding divers, Ninjas and evil
spirits also: make an appearance
in later levels. If you complete
each round successfully, and beat
the time limit, you must attempt to
destroy one of the Ring Of Five,
the first being an armour-clad
giant. The monsters can only be
destroyed by hitting them ina
certain. place. In the bonus stage
you must aim your shurikens and.
pop off the Ninjas, that run along
the levels, before they can reach
you. If you complete the bonus
stage you will be awarded with
Ninja magic which will help you to
progress through the levels.
With the capabilities of
the Amiga there should be
no excuse for poor sound.
Shinobi would have made
for a real fast soundtrack.
Instead, the tune is dull
and unatmospheric
scl The whole aim of the game is to save the kidnapped civilians.
As each one is rescued they fly into the air to freedom. They
- Each round has four stages to
battle through, and each stage
takes you further into the Ring Of
Five's base. All relevant game
information is displayed at the
bottom of the play area,including
items such as civilians remaining,
time limit and an indicator to show
if you have acquired any Ninja
magic. At the very top is your
score, and the highest score so
far.
Terrible animation and
dire colour does nothing
for Shinobi whatsoever.
The different stages are
also very plain and do not
differ in their content
also leave various weapons, such as a pistol and Nunchukas.
fe The pistol proves very useful when dispensing with the bad
guys. Unfortunately, you’re not the only one with a pistol and
these boys can become quite a pain at times.
Who’s ever heard of Ninja frogmen? These guys leap out of the
sea and swing their swords at you. Precision movement is
needed here if you are to get past all the divers.
At the end of
each round you
must face one of
the Ring Of Five.
The first is an
Fe dsslel ti avest-l+ Mm e-1dagl?) a
who must be shot
in the eyes several
times.
Obviously, your!
Ninja skills weren’t | ~
Sup to much. If your@ #3)". 2 =
BS he Te
=, zero you will lose one of — —---
those oh-so-precious _
lives. Le
Amiga Action Issue 002 39
aes NONE a SUN RIN ee Aen ie Rte AE epi
a
ee Before you, lies the Resurrection Room. Leave the bones of
your dead companions here, shut the door and prepare for a
miraculous rebirth.
4, CREST NRE 0 ALI SLSR ESS
Tremcicnsamnes ES
“!
ators LE AIA RTI AIO
& Your inventory shows the food, weapons and magical items
you are carrying. Your current fighting weapon must be held in
the active hand before it can be used. In addition, shield and
armour slots are available.
ee The Playing-Card suits represent the four classes of heroes.
Hearts - Adventurers, Spades - Fighters, Clubs - Mages,
Diamonds - Assassins.
Gaimncomaanny
ie The walls of the dungeon are festooned with many colourful
pennants. Examine them closely, some contain secret
messages.
40 Issue 002 Amiga Action
‘Wanted - A fearless leader to
guide four champions skilled in all
the ways of dungeon lore into the
monster-filled Towers of
Treihadwy!. WIMPS NEED NOT
APPLY!’
Is this the game which will
answer the Amiga RPG player's
dreams?
AMIGA ACTION investigates
the claim behind the game.
Endless corridors littered with
weapons both deadly and
magical; lethal pits, locked doors
and secret buttons, all combine to
make a recipe for adventure and
fun. The game puts you in control
of four different heroes chosen
from the Magician, Assassin,
Adventurer and Fighter classes.
During encounters with other
denizens of these dank corridors,
you may direct your deadly gang
to fight, barter, bribe or make a
run for it. There are puzzles to be
solved and bloody encounters to
be won. As you progress through
the seemingly never-ending
rooms, your characters will gain in
strength and prowess, providing
you are clever enough to keep
them healthy and well-fed.
New, magical spells are
brought to you by the faery folk
while you sleep - certainly a new
twist for the Tooth Fairy that | knew
and loved! These magical runes
have all manner of lethal and
subtle effects, the purpose of
which is for you to discover.
Animated fireballs can be sent
winging off down the corridors to
inflict damage on both friend and
foe alike but, be careful, as some
spells will happily rebound off
distant pillars to return and
destroy your own men.
Your quest is to find the Four
Mystical Crystals which have the
power to end the reign of Zendick
- The Lord of Entropy. As you are
one of the legendary Bloodwych
heroes you are well suited to
undertake a mission of this
importance.
The game may also be played
as a two-player game, and for this
reason the screen display is split
in half. Consequently the 3D view
depicting your surroundings is
quite small and the graphics
representing other characters and
their animation are quite basic.
Sound is also rather sparse
and comprised of clunks and
BLOOD GR
bangs. In the two-player mode
you may choose to assist or
oppose your partner in the quest
which can make things very
sneaky. Although the mouse may
be used as the control in a single-
player game, two joysticks are
required should you select the
two-player option.
The ability to converse with
strangers and thus persuade
them to part with weapons, food
or information forms an important
part of the game. Persuasion
takes the form of money, barter or
charm. Should you find that all
else fails, you can at least have
the satisfaction of treating the
obstinate swine to a faceful of
fireballs!
The game is an unashamed
clone of the mighty Dungeon
Master - which is no bad thing for
A500 owners. Like its
predecessor, your characters
improve with experience. With
each battle won, and puzzle
cracked, your heroes gain in
strength and magical ability,
allowing them to trade blows with
even nastier beasts which lie in
wait around the next bend.
Although the game's presentation
is very different, it undoubtedly
possesses that same special,
magical ingredient which can grip
the imagination of all who dare to
spend an hour delving into Its
mysteries.
BLOODWYCH has brought
the fantasy role-playing Game out
ny im rovement w ] ich
the fun of RPG to a
wider audience gets my
vote. Mega-blasts come
and go, but it’s games
like BLOODWYCH which
point the way to th
future. There’s lots to
explore and the tons of
different weapons and
spelis will take weeks, if
not months, to fully
investigate. Games like
the Bard’s Tale and the
Ultima series have had
their day. This game nee
PORIORA ODI IARNNA TUNES FOES
oe oe ‘aad
4 a
bi al Sega Se |
of the cupboard and thrown away
the boring tables of hit points and
stilted gameplay. Now you can
see the opposition and watch your
magical bolts rebound around the
dungeon. This is strategy for
gamesters who want to see the
action and feel the heat.
Basically, Bloodwych is a
very impressive two-player game.
a Closed doorways abound. Common keys, special keys and Magelock spells may be needed to
gain entrance to the room beyond.
lecemeememmans =)
ee i ane yi tes re
Throughout the game, me ,
both the backdrops and
encounter are well drawn it ae ON SS |
and nicely detailed. The
graphics are very
atmospheric, with subtle
shading giving’ the
tunnels a claustrophobic
feel. All of the icons
needed are also clearly
defined and instantly
recognisable, making the
game a joy to play.
Tee PREY ot
ere
PAN aE asin 8 aa int meg ty lm enc mace tel cen gy
Felecnnsriieannecaarnmant aicietetamante mmrtaxharmsatieierae:
Sit We hy 2 mney En ea TW He (NN SORIA OSES
a eee . .
mCAScueHi spac IebaeLOOacase ease peeeay emsoni iapclecdad
=i
LA OR I TRA SAAR ABR ARN BI SARCASM,
oe
el Selecting the SLEEP option when in a bedroom will ensure a more restful sleep with the
advantage that extra wisdom may be dropped into your spell book while you snore.
This has got to be a must
for all RPG players. Apart
from the notable
exception of the mighty
Dungeon Master game,
there is no other game of
this ilk which comes even
close to the gameplay
contained in this
impressive package. I
would have preferred that
they had not incorporated
the two-player option and,
instead, increased the
size of the viewing
screen, but if you have a a Pe @ a
friend who shares your tet eercsmuamesgneeanet
passion for monster- pegging ME As wae OO Te ee ee
game without equal. | 4 LO eee ene v4 — _
Remember that you will 7 | . 4 2.4 Arcee 4) =? & |
need two _ joysticks > J ) ee Cg ns ess ~
should you want to play a silent lineal
in tandem. Ea Remember to resist the temptation to take a swipe at passing strangers. They may hold objects
or knowledge which is vital to a successful mission.
Amiga Action Issue 002 4 4
me |
x
Bei i ae be
ast i sai !
A a
Sp,
. For Mail Order send a schecue’P. O.to Hewson eae Ltd Order by aga card by soni .
| your Access/Barclaycard number, and enclose a specimen sonae, si er me |
Dont forget to enclose your name and address, ing MEM Le, UN
. Hewson, Milton Park, Milton, Oxon. OX144RX Tel: (0235) 832939 “Fax: (0235) 861039. ge :
As part of our continuing development of ir Taare a vative So! tware we are always happy to evaluate —
software sent to us with a view to publication.
GARGORE — a land of warring Kingdoms each with their own army, who live
Talmict=] me) a: lame r=] ar) elem: ve) |it-] ava i'7-1aale)my2nlem ih 4ctcm Comite) al ar-lale mero) are Ul-1e
You are one such Fanatic, a magical warrior in search of Victory in the battle
siere]aactemi-lale me)mCT-|gelelae
ATARI ST
COMMODORE AMIGA 24.99
i see you have
returned...
More guts than
sense,
Il expect!
Well, true to my word | have been
lurking in the shadows and
uncovering news that the other mags
have not yet had a sniff at. At the
time of writing, no-one knows the
news that | am about to impart and
i's BIG-BIG-BIG. So listen up at the
back, we have a SCOOP!
SCOOP! - SCOOP! - SCOOP!-
SCOOP!- SCOOP! - SCOOP! -
Guess who is in the process of
writing an all-action RPG game
which is sure to appeal to both
Dungeoneers and arcade players
alike? The BITMAP BROS! Fresh
from completing the mega-hit, Xenon
Il, they are well into writing a game,
provisionally titled ANIKA. The
catch-phrase which will be used with
the game is ‘Forget the Food, Get on
with the Fighting!’ Which is a clue to
the fact that while strategy and
puzzle solving will form part of the
quest, there will be a heavy
emphasis on fast-action combat
sequences. Set in a 10-sectioned
dungeon, you will be on the trail of
Melbourne House's Demons Tomb
an evil killer called - wait for it -
Colin!
The game will be joystick
controlled, and just like another
game (whose name we won't
mention), it will feature all sorts of
weapons, magical spells and
puzzles. What with Dungeon Master,
Bloodwych, Chaos Strikes Back and
now ANIKA, things are looking up
for RPG fans. Just remember where
you heard it first.
Another piece of hot news is that
the sequel to the highly successful
LEGEND OF THE SWORD
adventure is also about to burst
upon us. FINAL BATTLE is its name
and Mirrorsoft are the lucky people
who wooed the software writers
away from the Rainbird Software
Hy
th
publishers. As you may already
know, LEGEND was the game
which featured lots of lovely extras
to make life easier for adventure
players, such as a fully detailed
map which drew itself automatically
as you progressed through the
quest. A tricky game | thought, but
very slick and beautifully presented.
From Melbourne House comes
news of two new games retailing at
£19.99. DEMON'S TOMB promises
to be a very ‘flash’ graphic
adventure set in and around a
creepy, archeological dig in the
heart of Devonshire. You will initially
control the actions of the
archeologist, Professor Lynton, who
is doomed to die in nasty
circumstances within the sealed
tomb. Your only consolation is that
if you are quick enough, you will at
least be able to leave enough clues
to the horrifying mystery that will
enable your son to resume your
work. The game is due for release
in October and if the screen-shots
are anything to go by, it may well be
worth a closer look.
The second game on the stocks
from Melbourne is GRIMBLOOD. |
am afraid | only have a few scraps
of info about this game at present,
but there was a key in the keyhole
which muffled the conversation.
Don't you just hate people who talk
quietly when they think Grues may
be listening behind the door?
What | did gather was that your
name is Maximus and your task is
to wander around a castle
interacting with 23 other characters.
nije:
eng ati a
Car
Step into the driving seat of one of the most wicked stunt cars around as a
Stunt Car Racer. It’s now up to you to prove just how good you are and to see
whether or not you can ultimately become Division One Champion.
With a super-quick, turbo-charged V8 engine that will power you to incredible
speeds, and long-travel suspension that enables you to soak up the bumps,
your car really is an awesome projectile. The tracks are totally out of this
world. Banked corners that enable you to ‘pull g’, undulating bumps that
throw your car uncontrollably from side to side and huge ramps that catapult
you into mid-air. In fact, you seem to spend so much time airborne, you could Beiavts Cac eiacee te cextahie
almost qualify for a pilot’s licence! for ST, Amiga, PC, Spectriun
Battle it out on the track against other computer controlled rivals, such as, and Commodore 64
Dare Devil and Koad Hog. Race and jump so fast that your car starts to break
up under the strain and then accelerate even more. There’s no prizes for
being second best in this game — it’s all or nothing.
Stunt Car Racer — do you think you could be up there with the best?
SCREEN SHOTS MAY VARY
sere! i
. GE: )
Ee ees) ee
140
aS
Stunt Car ts utterly brilliant and offers adrenalin-pumping,
gut wrenching high speed action that'll keep you engrossed for
months. C + VG.
EET S's
jnit 1, Hampton Ko
: i hips
Someone has been killed and it’s
your job to find out who ‘dunnit’.
Release date beginning of
November - you'll know more as
soon as | can get my ear further
down the keyhole!
And now | suppose we had best
turn to your little difficulties, and to
the pitiful pleas for help which have
been sent in this month.
Greetings, Fearsome One. | have
been trying to find the bridle for the
Unicorn in Kings Quest IV for weeks
and it’s driving me NUTS! | scan the
Adventure Help columns in other
mags for the solution, but all | ever
read is hints on where it is. | don't
want a hint - | want the BLEEDING
ANSWER!!!
Richard Chapman KENT
What other magazines? Since the
coming of AMIGA ACTION and the
mighty GRUE - there are no other
magazines! And to prove it, here is
the answer. Assuming you have
done your ‘Jonah and the Whale’
impersonation (and if you don't
know what I'm talking about, go sea-
swimming, because you need to be
swallowed by a whale before you
can find this elusive bridle), you will
be spat out of the whale’s mouth
onto a desert island. On the right-
hand side of the island is a wreck.
Walk inside the wreck of the boat,
right up to the bow (that’s the sharp
end to you!) Type “Look at grouna”,
and, ‘hey presto’ - a bridle.
Well, I've taken everyone's advice
and bought Dungeon Master, and |
must say that I’m surprised. Most
games that the mags say , You must
buy this game’, turn out to be over-
hyped and definitely average. D.M.
is really great and actually worth the
money - there, | never thought I'd
ever say such a thing about any
software! Anyway, good or
otherwise, | don't understand the
point of the skeleton key which I've
found. | can't make it work
anywhere. | would have thought that
a ‘skeleton key’ would open locked
doors, but it doesn’t work on any of
them. What am | doing wrong?
P. Bowles Manchester
You're obviously so used to the pretty
wall decorations in this game that
you haven't noticed that a new one
has appeared. Yep, it's the skull that
we are talking about. If you operate
the skeleton on the skull engraving,
you are in for a great surprise. The
giant stairway is about to put in an
appearance and things are looking
up (or should that be down?)
Okay, clever clogs, here’s a puzzle
that is really teeing me off. How do
you open the Post Office safe in
JINXTER? It's the one with a handle
on each corner. I've been jiggling
them for hours with no luck. |
suppose this means I'll never make a
burglar.
Raffles, Monte Carlo!
Try this. Turn bottom right handle
(twice), turn top right (3 times), turn
bottom right (twice), turn top left and
open safe. Yep, | couldn't do it either
- but | know a Troll who does!
OK, | admit SPACE QUEST 2 is a
great game, but it does have some
stinker puzzles in it. | have made it to
Volhaul’s Asteroid Fortress, but | can't
get past the robot guards which line
the corridor. | think the water
sprinklers in the roof have something
to do with it, but | don’t know how to
turn them on. Please help.
Ryan Adams Birmingham
Oh dear, wouldn't it be dreadful if the
sprinklers went off and showered
those poor robots while they are
standing there minding their own
business - with a charging circuit of
20,000 volts connected up their
input port? What we need here is a
fire to set off the automatic system.
Before tripping down the steps from
your space lander you should travel
left or right and take a ride up in the
elevators. Up there you will find a
waste-paper bin, a lighter and some
paper from the alien's loo. Put the
paper in the bin, drop it and set fire
to the paper to activate the fire
extinguishers.
Incidentally if you want a real
laugh, try using the lighter to look
down the drain in the middle of the
toilet floor. | don't know what Martian
Swamp Rats eat but, my god, their
farts are lethal!
I've got just the question for you,
dear Grue. In Infocom’s Wishbringer
game I’m having trouble with a baby
grue and its mum. |'m in the grue’s
lair under the oak tree and | need to
get into the refrigerator, but each
time | open the fridge door, the light
wakes the baby grue up and it starts
crying. Mummy Grue then appears
and everything starts getting very
physical! How can | stop the baby
grue from crying?
Jimmie Bain, Perth
=~, ae wb A ON og MOP BE” TT gee St we, ee
sae Se ai o- Vea. vt ot tah Bok St Nd ea eet Soe
gehe mes gee | ra =a aul! Viet ts: Sey he
a Pe a We AR Se ‘eels i Ps ADs) Seek ae
Cea gy ee SA Lae ; 4
Well, to stop me crying, my old
mum always gave me an
adventurers nose dipped in honey
to suck when | went to bed. Failing
that, | had my comfort blanket
which | pulled over my head to
keep the light out of my eyes.
Unless you are prepared to cut your
nose off, | suggest you get the
blanket from the cells in the Police
Station and throw it over the babys
head to shield the light from its
eyes.
I've got two questions about Kings
Quest Ill. Every time Manannan the
wizard goes off on a trip, | escape
from the castle and search the
countryside for magical ingredients.
Trouble is, when he returns he
always says that I’ve been up to no
good and kills me. | think he can
see that I've got magic ingredients,
but the game won't let me drop the
objects anywhere because it says
they might come in handy. Also, I’ve
tried to use the ingredients before
he gets back, but | can't find the
magic wand. Please help me or I'll
go back to the Zork Empire and
beat up every Grue | can find.
Pete Davidson, Milton
Keynes
l'm quaking in my boots. Or to be
more precise, I'm quaking in the
boots that belonged to the last
adventurer who threatened me. He
doesn't need the boots anymore;
come to think of it he doesn't need
trousers anymore, either.
Your trouble is you havent
found the obvious place to hide the
magical ingredients. It'S under your
bed, of course. As for the wand,
well, old Manannan keeps that
locked in his safe. The safe’s key
can be a real bitch to find, its been
placed on top of his closet in the
bedroom. Seems everybody hides
things in their bedroom. Perhaps |
had better move my priceless
collection of centrefold princesses
from under my bed before some
sneaky adventurer whips them.
Wotcher! Grue baby. How's it
hanging? I’m glad you've arrived, as
I'm mega-stiffed with the BALLYHOO
circus adventure from Infocom. Did
you know that you can pick up
nearly all the early Infocom games
for around £6 at the computer shows
now? Anyway, back to my prob. |
can't persuade Harry the guard to
let me through the gate into the
caravan compound. He lets the
clowns through, but not me - why
not?
Bazz Darlington, Isle of
Sheppey
| don’t understand it either. You
sound to me as if you are as big a
clown as any human I've ever met!
On the other hand as it's dark round
by the entrance gate, perhaps you
need to disguise your voice. Have
you found the balloon filled with
helium yet? Clever humans know
that if you breathe helium and then
speak, you sound like a cartoon
character. Breathe helium and then
say, ‘Hello Harry’. The gatekeeper
will mistake you for the midget and
let you through. Come to think of it, |
wonder if the editor's got a helium
balloon. It would account for him
sounding like Daffy Duck when he
calls to complain that my pages are
late.
After weeks of struggling with this
difficult game | have arrived at the
airport, only there are two, weird-
looking KGB agents who arrest me
no matter what | do. | think they are
supposed to be disguised as Hari
Krishna freaks or something.
And what do you think of the filth
level in the game? | set the Filth
Level Meter to maximum and | still
think it’s tame. What | want is lots
more *%@#!!
B. Kelly, Great Yarmouth
Being a well-travelled Grue, | know
that American airports are crawling
with Hari Krishna nuts who stuff a
‘free’ flower in your hand then try
and stiff you for every penny you've
got. What you need to do is turn the
tables on them and give THEM a
flower. They'll be so surprised, you'll
be able to get past them. The bad
news is that the flower you are
seeking is in the middle of that
jungle you spent so long getting
through. | hope you've got a SAVE
game.
As for the filth level. | suspect
that you missed the flower in the
jungle because of your poor
eyesight. Ever wondered why your
eyesight is failing? Too much
*%@#!! | suspect.
Send your queries, moans or
bouquets plus a S.A.E. to:
OFFICIAL
Advance
Dungeonsjjragons
COMPUTER PRODUCT
Nce>—~
et
~~ at
~~
Wasi
HEROES OF THE LANCE
COME FORWARD...
THE EVIL QUEEN OF
DARKNESS GROWS IN
STRENGTH.
Takhisis, Queen of Darkness, and her
Draconian hordes have overrun much of
the homeland of Krynn, even the elven
armies of Qualinost, valiant in their
resistance to this evil power, struggle on
the edge of defeat. Itis only the returning
Companions of the Lance that can halt
this wave of tyranny before Krynn is
consumed by evil. Freed from captivity
by an elven assault column, the
Companions under the guiding direction
; er ey of the Cleric Goldmoon and bolstered by
a rem. S Te > their success at recovering the mystical
am Sy) yt Disks of Mishakal, can once again restore
a belief in the gods and unify the
inhabitants of Krynn against the power
of Takhisis.
The Companions must move swiftly
through this wartorn land, cautious of
strangers but seeking compatriots and ever
alert to the rapid advance of the
Draconian forces. The courageous elves
will finally fall, but there is one last
chance to free the loyal slaves held in Pax
Tharkas and join together to recover the
long-lost sword Wrymslayer in what could
be the vital rallying point in rekindling
resistance to the plague of darkness
sweeping over Krynn. ona ae
ry
°
3h
Sh
a
AVAILABLE ON
CBM 64/128 Disk. IBM P.C. & COMPATIBLES
ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, AD&D, DRAGONLANCE
and the TSR logo are trademarks owned by TSR, Inc.,
Lake Geneva, W.I. USA, and used under license from Strategic
Simulations, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA. USA.
© 1989 TSR, Inc, © 1989 Strategic Simulations, Inc. All rights reserved.
Vii
Bi
Screen shots from various systems.
U.S. Gold Ltd., Units 2/3, Holford Way, Holford,
Birmingham B6 7AX. Tel: 021 625 3388.
Advance
Dungeons{j>ragons
COMPUTER PRODUCT
HILLSFAR, a city in the
magical FORGOTTEN
REALMS” game world, rich
with quests and challenges.
Every visit to Hillsfar is a
different exhilarating experience.
Explore the city, meet its colourful
denizens on the streets or in pubs
and discover a quest (there are
many possible ones).
Transfer your favourite character
from the POOL OF RADIANCE or
CURSE OF THE AZURE BONDS
AD&D* FORGOTTEN REALMS™
computer role-playing games, or
create one from scratch. Your quest
and the options available to you
in each game will change to suit
your character’s speciality (thief,
mage, cleric or fighter).
Your quest will keep you
constantly on the move. Fight in
the arena against raging
minotaurs, ill-tempered orcs or
other evil opponents. Enter
different buildings and your maze-
running and lock-picking skills
will be required. Archery and
equestrian events may also be
part of your overall quest.
CBM 64/128 Disk.
IBM P.C.
i
FORGOTTEN REALMS”
ACTION ADVENTURE
SP he city of Phlan has been overrun by monsters
J utility program that enables Dungeon Masters Woe the mystical world of Krynn eight brave - you must discover the identity of the evil force
to generate encounters for AD&D* campaigns companions face Draconian monsters, skeletal . nd destroy them. The la
quickly and easily - over 1000 encounters and undead, magic and the ancient dragon Khisanth adotoncien cad We chahite Hatiche ort
pri! meoesurs aod pene from AD &D* in seeking the precious Disks of Mishakal. the ultimate breakthrough in fantasy role-
onster Man i
playing computer games.
cnr yal
Advanced
Dungeonspragons
tirnptithrnine s
OFFICIAL \
CBM 64/128 DISK
& IBM.
ATARI ST, AMIGA, IBM
AMSTRAD TAPE & DISK.
A POROOTHE
Pautany Kavio-i tay
on
ity AS. INC.
SIHRALEGIC SIMULATIONS, ENC, STRATEGIC SIMULATIONS, INC
ca eA
TSR, Inc.
ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, AD&D, FORGOTTEN REALMS, DRAGONLANCE and the TSR loge are trademarks owned by TSR, Inc., Lake Geneva, WI, USA and used under license from Strategic Simulations,
Inc., Mountain View, CA, USA. All rights reserved. © 1989 TSR, Inc. © 1989 Strategic Simulations, Inc. All rights reserved.
U.S. Gold Ltd., Units 2/3, Holford Way, Holford, Birmingham B6 7AX. Tel: 021 625 3388.
IVING THE
AME AWAY
LORDS OF THE RISING 3
GTGA is Amiga Actions
hints, tips, cheats and
playing guides column.
Every month our team
offer vital help and
advice as to how to
progress furthur in
some of the top releases
of recent months.
This month Doug ‘I do wish
they would stop saying |
look like the FA Cup’ Johns,
disects the latest Amiga
releases, including Rainbow
islands and Strider.
Meanwhile, you readers are
starting to produce the
goods too, with tips for
Lords of the Rising Sun,
Titan and Vigilante coming
in.
We have received a
couple of letters stating
that we don’t seem to put
many small cheats in. Well,
that’s up to you, the reader
and games-players, to
make sure that we get
them - after all, the best
tipsters may just find a
couple of games winging
thei r way to them,
courtesy of Amiga Action.
So, stop whatever you are
playing, take a look at it
and decided whether you
could provide a map, a
cheat or a poke for it, and if
you can send it into us. Ok,
enough of this old blarney,
and on with the tips...
Send your tips and
cheats to: Giving the
Game Away, Amiga
Action, Latham House,
Quarry Lane, Chichester,
West Sussex, PO19 2NY
50 Issue 002 Amiga Action
If you’re having a few problems becoming a Shogun,
restoring your family honour, and surviving regular
onslaughts from renegade Ninjas and assassins, then your
troubles are now over thanks to the help of Andrew
McGarrigle of Mexborough. After what must have been
many hours of play, he has compiled his best tips and
popped them in the post to us. So without further ado,
here they are.
lf you're a beginner select
Yoshitsune, this allows you to
practise your strategies. To
begin with, concentrate all your
energies on the eastern castles:
these tend to fall very easily at
the start of a game. Next try
recruiting as many men as you
can, especially from the White
Ronin; if your army is at full
strength he may decide to join
you, but should he wish to pass
unhindered, let him, he doesn't
pose a threat to your armies or
lands early on in the game. As
you've been taking castles in
eastern Japan, your brother,
Yoritomo, has been causing
havoc in and around central
Japan. Rest at one of your
castles for a while, then go and
fight your brother and, with a
little luck, he should be killed in
the battle; you then inherit your
dead brother's lands and
armies. If you don’t succeed in
killing him, persevere until he’s
dead; you can now start to
conquer the rest of Japan.
Once you have taken the
mainland, make a couple of
visits to the Emperor at Koyoto.
He should give you the Sacred
Scroll, and on following visits
the Sacred Sword. Around this
time keep a watchful eye on the
encounter screen as your
enemies will be growing
increasingly nervous as your
This unusual bat’n’ball
game can prove tricky, so
here are the codes for
each of the eighty levels
from Titus themselves:
65: VOMOS5V
66: CO1FHT
67: OS4500
68: 2U4BO05
69: CF6B71
70: 88H102
1: J4UMKR 17: SJHTQN
2: HBHCHC 18: UKUTB8
3: 4492LI 19: O1HFJO
4: OSEOEL 20: 1R7DCG
§; 2401TO 21: V30906
6: 01L038 22: 4P4192
7: O4KJOB 23: 40RSHP
8: 198075 24: E4DBQP
9: OV7R70 25: LFPOBO
10: H67JR1 26: 1H9615
11: O4JUBR8 27: MOBOPV
12: RDL89G 28: BOHH22
13: BBJLJ4 29: RN4RH9
14: DNBEO8 30: BG6W61
15: TMV281 31: 1W1440
16: LO9U3H 32: 044080
33: E396V3 49: 1S4LOF
34: 740330 50: DBON6D
35: 2L41H1 51: 3010LH
36: SGOWOO 52: K470MT
37: 48H093 53: O9UPW9
38: FU5HJ9 54: OVEO82
39: OGU9P 1 55: L29RHL
40: 294JBH 56: S|ORROR
41: B608SO 57: HO5LHT
42: P810B9 58: 15LOV8
43: KWOHME 59: EOROC4
44: HC6TS8 60: SLQHVU
45: 7K4703 61: HC932F
46: 9OOPNO 62: 117938
47: OOBI1O 63: 6048HG
48: HOO10OK 64: 4FO39H
1:
72:
73:
74:
75:
76:
Uf:
78:
79:
80:
H844C3
OO5HOR
NOTONS8
OD8VO1
AHSHD8
TIDD12
A3L6TV
8HHOHS3
1D1S78
OIP4GO
power increases, and will send
Ninjas to kill you. As soon as
you see a message about a
Ninja, press the mouse button,
and with a bit of luck the
offending general will commit
seppuku. Your next task is to
take the remaining two islands
and the last four castles. Send
one of your generals to Nagoya,
one to Aikawa and one to
Matsue; this prevents your
enemies from resupplying when
they retreat to the mainland.
When you take the final castle
you will become Shogun.
Always check your siege skills
before attacking a castle; if
necessary, swap skills with
another of your generals. The
same applies to sword skills (for
skirmishes on land) and bow
skills (when defending castles).
GTGA:
A quick cheat from those clever
people at Logotron themselves
for all of you who bought their
game, Archipelagos. Press
RETURN to select = an
Archipelago and type 8421 and
This beat'em-up is a bit on the
tough side but help comes in
the form of Graham Templer
from Ealing. Get a high score
and instead of typing your
name, enter GREEN CRYSTAL.
Now press F1 an extra life will
be yours and this can be done
press RETURN. Press RETURN
again and you can select any
Archipelago from 1 to 9999.
Because there are so many
different levels to look at, save
yourself some time and look at
as many times as you like. In
addition, F8 warps you to the
next level.
Graham also sent in this
useful guide to beating the end-
of-level big dudes. When they
appear, approach them and
deliver a flying kick. They will
every fifth level in the first one
hundred, as these were
designed by the programmers
and are probably the most
interesting. Also try level 5942
(very tricky).
down onto their
backside. Retreat a little, then
wait until they get up before
repeating the process. This way,
they get their energy sapped
without your Vigilante losing any
of his.
then fall
Amiga Action Issue 002 5 1
Dear oh dear! The poor natives of the
Rainbow Islands have had their homeland
taken from under their very own little
pinkies and, worse still, are being made
into slaves to work for the really ever-so-
nasty Boss Of Shadow. Only you can save
them, but it’s not quite as easy as it looks
and those end-of-level guardians can
really be a pain. So just to give you that
little helping hand, and a small run-down
on the levels you might not have seen, this
is just what you needed.
100000 |
RAINEOW
ISLANDS?
There’s no bat and ball this time, and,
thankfully, there’s no way of destroying
the tiles that aid you in your passage to
the top of the level; but at least that
‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ tune has
stopped and been replaced by the old,
sound effects from the breakout game
itself; there is even a different noise
accompanying your jumps!
399220
RAINBOW ISLANDS PLAYERS GUIDE
Shoes and potions: Each time you kill a
monster you will receive some sort of reward,
even if it’s just a piece of fruit. But at regular
intervals, other little things pop up too, shoes
and potions being the most popular and useful.
The shoe will increase the speed at which you walk and jump,
making it easier to move around the surrounding nasties. Potions,
on the other hand, increase your rainbow power; the red potion
allowing you to cast more than one rainbow (up to three), and the
yellow potion letting you cast the rainbows at a quicker rate.
Leaf of the Fairy will
summon a fairy to
guard you from the
advancing baddies.
Potion of Protection,
makes you
indestructible until
the end of the level.
MAGICAL
Just to make life that
little bit easier, a few
special objects pop
up here and there,
ITEMS:
each one being
unique in its own
particular
function.The most
common one to be
found is the Ring of
Stars, making stars
fly in all directions
each time you jump
Box of Wings, very
handy and, as you
might guess, allows
you to fly. Cloak of
invincibility, very
similar to the Potion of
Protection.
Cup of Destruction,
when collected, will
kill everything
present onthe
screen.
DIAMONDS:
Diamonds play a
very large part in the
game, and if
collected in the right
order, huge rewards can be
gained for a little effort.
Monsters are turned into
diamonds in two different ways.
First of all, they will become
diamonds if killed by magical
stars or some magic item, and,
secondly, if you cast a rainbow
above their head and then
break it, when it touches any
monster it will usualy turn into
one of the diamonds.
DOH HIMSELF: The great Doh
himself comes forth to dispose
of your threat, but whether
we’ll succeed or not is up to
you. There are two techniques
you can use to kill Doh: the
long, but easy way is to jump
up and shoot him in the head
and then run underneath him
avoiding the spray of bullets
and then shoot him in the other
side of the head, running back
again avoiding more bullets
and repeating the procedure.
But be careful, because if you
take too long, water will start
rising and drown you. The
second and more difficult way
is similar to the first in that you
run from side to side shooting
him, but after you have made
the rainbow, then jump up and dentro it. The difficulty is if you’re
not quick enough, as you'll find yourself unable to avoid the bullets
that he will fire in your direction.
OVarious monsters from Revenge Of Doh are incorporated into this
world, and each does basically the same thing; they all just
bounce or float around the screen, but due to the lack of platforms
in later levels dodging, them is certainly not easy.
52 issue 002 Amiga Action
Available for Amiga, ST,
IBM and compatibles, «,
Commodore 64, :
eVaaliue-leb-laleBcjel ec ge
Mindseape Interna
RAINBOW ISLANDS PLAYERS GUIDE: INSECT ISLAND
Beginning at the western-most point of
the Rainbow Islands you start your quest
to free the innocent natives and banish
the evil Boss Of Shadow from the lands for
ever. But before you can achieve this,
countless hordes of enemies will have to
HIGH SCORE
18240 1900000
be overcome and destroyed.
Bees: Fly around
the screen only
changing course if
an obstacle gets in
their way or they
reach the side of
the screen; as with all nasties,
contact is lethal.
Spiders: Enter from
the top of the
screen and jump
down the various
platforms to home
in on you, but if
they miss and jump below you,
they can use their web to climb
back up after you.
Hive: Occasionally
drops from the top
of the screen and
releases two, three,
or maybe four bees
before vanishing
into thin air; shoot it quickly to
prevent any bees from
escaping.
Ladybirds: Like
caterpillars, will
only walk to and
fro; but when angry,
if you venture
above them without
killing them first, they will fly
up after you.
Caterpillars: Simply
walk back and
forth, only leaving
their platform if
made angry; all
monsters will
become angry if not killed after
a little while, and when they do,
they will turn red as an
indication.
Crows: As soon as
they enter the
screen they will
hatch from eggs
and head straight
for you. They can
be out-manoeuvred but killing
them is far wiser.
GIANT SPIDER: You come to the
end of the first level, and find
your opposition in the form of a
giant spider; not surprising
really, considering the name of
the present island. To rid
yourself of this pest, simply run
to the right of the spider and
shoot him with a rainbow. Keep
this up until you reach the far
right-hand side of the screen
and go no further, then wait for
him to jump into the air and
quickly run underneath him to
the left-hand side of the screen; by the time you reach the other
side of the screen, and providing you have repeatedly rainbowed
him, he should definately be dead and you collect your well-
deserved reward.
An army of mechanized enemies are
waiting on the shores of the next island,
and are determined to put a stop to your
little game and protect their leader.
Pillboxes:
Very nasty
Pieces of
work,
these. Fire
a bomb left
and right at regular intervals
and, once shot, release a little
man who will come after you
until shot.(2 small boxes 1”x 1”)
HiGH
220970
54 issue 002 Amiga Action
Behave
.? we exactly the
. same as
ee bees only
changing
course if an
obstacle gets in their way and
generally making a nuisance of
themselves
SCOR!
220970
Trucks: The
caterpillar of the
combat world, the
Tanks: Again, they
just go back and
forth, but firing
-
only difference bullets and
being that they will regularly killing you
drop off their on contact.M:
platform without being angry. Helicopters: Behave exactly
the same as Bees.
Cannons: These
; little blighters Planes: Fly
Pa] = patrol the horizontally left and
a platforms, never Ws right across the
leaving their posts.
But beware, they
stop every now and then and
fire a bomb which is quite hard
to avoid.
Sa screen while
dropping bombs.
Either get above or
kill this foe to dispose of any
threat.
HUGE HELICOPTER: Before
long, you arrive at the second
end-of-level guardian. As you
will see, he is in the shape of a
huge helicopter, but unlike the
smaller version is able to drop
bombs. To kill this adversary,
wait in the centre of the
screen facing left, and when
the helicopter passes
overhead and gets to the left-
hand side of the screen, he will
turn and come towards you at
the same height as yourself.
Run to the right, turning
occasionally to fire a rainbow at him, and when you, reach the
right-hand side of the screen jump onto the platform above. At this
point the helicopter will turn round and when he does so, drop
down behind and run after him firing rainbows into his back to
finish him off.
RAINBOW ISLANDS PLAYERS GUIDE: MONSTER ISLAND
Scary! Certainly not for the squeamish,
Monster Island throws all your worst
nightmares at you, and this time it’s no
dream. Make your way through tombstone-
decorated graveyards avoiding the various
undead assailants and trying to keep hold
of your sanity.
Frankenstein: The
same as the trucks
from the second
world, Combat
Island. Thus, use
the same method to
deal with them.
Skeletons: These
culprits bounce
around the various
platforms and if not
dealt with quickly
can be quite a
nuisance - especially since thy
home in on you!
Ghosts: Robed
skeletons that float
around the scenery
in a similar way to
Bats: Like
Frankenstein, they
are just an
equivalent from the
previous level. The
bats are a copy of
the crows except they don’t
come out of shells, but hang on
the bottom of platforms.
Trolis: No difference
to the tanks of
Combat Island, but
the trolls breath
fire.
V,W: Vampire Bats:
Like bats, they
hang around until
you enter’ the
screen and then
END-OF-LEVEL VAMPIRE: Probably
the hardest of all the end-of-level
guardians, but once a technique is
found he can be disposed of within
just a few seconds. When you first
jump into the screen in which he
dwelis, make sure you’re about three
inches to the left of the middle of
the screen, and jump up to the
second platform; it will be a few
seconds before he appears and this
time is very important. From your
present position shoot as many
rainbows as possible until he
appears, and then destroy them all
by jumping on them: this action will deplete way over half his
energy. Now that you’ve just jumped into the air, as you fall by him,
blast him with as many rainbows as possible and by the time you
reach the floor he should be dead; if not, simply jump up and break
the rainbows you've just cast to finish him off.
227190 4271760
that of the
helicopters.
Howver, they drop fireballs on
your head when you are
underneath them.
home in on you. The
only difference is that as they
get close to you, they turn into
vampires and cast lightning at
you.
if only people knew how vicious and
psychotic toys could really be, I’m sure
they wouldn’t play with them, and the only
things in Toy Land having fun are the
rebellious toys.
Punch: He just
comes straight out
of the blue, curled
into a ball and
bounces round the
screen. Make sure
you don’t come in contact.
Discs: A very basic
enemy that will
merely go back and
forth across the
screen; easy to
shoot, avoid, and
AD: Bouncing Balls:
Bouncing beach-
balis make an
appearance now
and then, but
without the aid of
platforms they’re harmless and
drop off the bottom of the
screen.
Teddys: As the song
says, they’ve got no
strings to hold them
down, and after just
a short while the
puppets release
themselves and head towards
you through the air.
Mechanical Arms:
Dodgy devices.
They protrude from
the walls moving in
and out making it
sometimes virtually
impossible to pass.
Water Pistols: The
Troll and Tank
equivalents of
world four.
END-OF-LEVEL PUNCH: Aithough
punch is quite easy to kill, even if
you’ve lost all of your weapons,
there just isn’t any standard way of
killing this baddy. The logical way is
to simply walk left and right along
the bottom of the screen, going in
the opposite direction to him and
hitting him with a rainbow whenever
possible. Eventually he will die and
then it’s good-bye to toyland and on
to the next fun-filled level.
Amiga Action |ssue 002 55
Those devious chaps at
Capcom have certainly
come up with a toughy
here. But even Strider can
be overcome, and if you
want to see your name at
the top of the high score
table then here’s the
solution to your problem.
Mind you, even with some
Starting at the city outskirts you
don't get very far before you
come across your
adversaries; enemy soldiers run
forward shooting regularly in
your direction. To get rid of
these hazards with ease, slide
along the ground under their
bullets while chopping with your
sword. Shortly after passing the
soldiers you will find your first
special weapon - the protection
droid - who will loyally encircle
you absorbing bullets from
enemy fire, although this is not
his only use. When wall-
mounted guns are encountered,
56 Issue 002 Amiga Action
first |,
helpful tips the game can
be a bit on the difficult side,
so just to give you the extra
helping hand we’ve even
given you a cheat mode
that will get you virtually
anywhere in the whole
game; what more could you
ask for? So for all of you
out there who are still
rather than risk going in close
with your trusty sword taking the
chance of losing energy, just
simply stand there and let the
droid make contact with them,
destroying them instantly; or
alternatively, press fire making
your droid shoot them. Just past
the robots you will find the spike
trap, which needs some careful
timing to get underneath without
being hit; but much simpler is to
climb back up the wall you just
came down to the left of you,
jump on to the top of the trap
and walk straight across and off
the other side. Next, is your first
semi-major nasty, the Muscle
Man. As soon as you enter his
domain run to the right, hide
underneath the platform he
stands on and kneel down. The
Muscle Man will now jump to
the left, as he does so start to
continuously slash with your
sword. His next move will be to
roll towards you, but due to your
Swinging sword you will be able
to keep him at bay. He will keep
on rolling at you until he’s dead,
but it's not over yet. Before you
know what is happening, fire will
pS mite bit
stuck after you’ve read the
tips,here’s the cheat mode.
As soon as the game starts,
pause the game and then
hold down HELP, the LEFT
SHIFT, and ONE. Now
unpause the game and
press 1 to 5 for the different
levels, and F1 to F4 for the
stages in each level.
aOiymetncp=aa
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Pn TP a OSS a OREN
start to drop from the ceiling,
but not to worry because the
platform you're under will
protect you. Now that you've
subdued the Muscle Man it’s on
to the laser terminal; as you
enter the room of the missile’s
control box, you will notice the
terminal itself rising out of the
floor; walk straight over there,
kneel down and chop as fast as
possible at it with your sword.
You will see an energy bar on
the terminal and as you
repeatedly hit it, the bar will
decrease; if you are quick
enough on the fire button the
terminal should be destroyed
before any lasers can hit you. At
last you make it to the end of
the level, only to find the
President of the city himself,
along with his entire cabinet is
waiting for you. AS you arrive,
the President and his cabinet
will transform into a huge
monster (which spins around
the walls of the room in a
clockwise rotation) with a giant
sickle at the front. As it starts to
come towards you, with careful
timing, jump over the monster's
head and land on its back, then
follow it round to the top left
corner and then fall off.
Standing in this corner will allow
you to hit the monster as he
spins around the room, while
not being hit or having to move
out of the monster’s path. Once
the president and his cabinet
have been killed, it will be on to
the next level, and on with the
action.
PLAYERS GUIDE
i s ‘ dt <
the next level and, as before,
the enemy don't give you any
time to rest; before you know
what's happening, packs of
wolves’ will be
themselves at you, but
fortunately for you they pose no
threat and a single blow from
your sword will dispose of them.
Just around the corner you will
stumble into the path of a giant
mechanized ape. Keep your
distance from this assailant, just
out of reach of his huge and
powerful fist, but constantly use
your sword to decrease his
hurling
energy and kill him. To make
climbing a little harder than
before, wall robots drive up and
down the sides of the wall. But
jumping to the wall opposite
and then destroying them from
there is easy enough. As you
come to the top of the wall
where you had just encountered
the wall robots, some quickly
spinning buckets will come into
view. Jump straight up at the
top of the wall on to a platform
and wait there until a bucket
scoops you up with a clockwise
movement. While you're in the
bucket keep on hacking with
your sword so that when you
come in line with a soldier on
the other side, you'll instantly kill
him. Now that you've disposed
of the soldier, you have to jump
on to a platform directly above
you to take you in to the
clutches of flying man,
equipped with a rather nasty
laser gun. Walk towards him as
he flies down towards you and,
at the last second, kneel down
and slice him a few times with
your sword. Mines are scattered
on the oncoming slopes, and
can be easily avoided by
slashing your sword wildly as
you approach them, preventing
them from doing any damage.
After going a bit further and
jumping up a few platforms, you
will have your path upwards
blocked by some lurching robot
walkers firing bullets. Instead of
jumping on top of the platform
and trying to dodge the bullets,
stay under the platform and
chop away at his feet which will
just make contact causing him
to explode. If you make your
way upwards, taking out any
other robot walkers that get in
your way, you will find some
helicopters which you can use
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to keep on going upwards.
However, bombs will be
dropped at you from the top of
the screen and will have to be
avoided or hit with your sword.
Finally, you will get to the top
level and, before you jump up,
climb along the underneath of
the platform while hitting with
your sword to kill all the ballet
dancers and soldiers above.
Now, jump up and walk to the
left and destroy a gun turret,
and then walk back to the right
and - hey presto! You'll have
completed this level
Well, that’s it for Strider this
month, but the final half of the
solution will be revealed next
month.
Amiga Action Issue 002 57
THE GHEAPEST
MEMORY UPGRADES AVAILABLE
Send cheques to:Dept AA 7
Memory Expansion Systems Ltd.
Britannia Buildings, 46 Fenwick Street,
Liverpool. L2 7NB
mele daca soto ar
Screen shots represent Amiga versions; others may vary.
OKAY TENNIS ACE
NOW’S YOUR GHANCE. -
TO COMPETE: WITH THE BEST.
Pro Tennis Tour - The Ultimate Tennis Simulation ranks you 64"
amongst the best tennis players in the world.
Set your sights on such championships as the Australian Open,
Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open.
Step into center court, tighten your grip and prepare to serve
up your best shot - Pro Tennis Tour is about to begin.
@ IBM
| AN ATG rN
M@ ATARI ST
| Ome Birenee)\i=sele)\
Warm up on one of six
practice programs
containing three levels of
increasing difficulty. Put
away shots |ike a Pro |!
Master back-hand volleys,
passing shots, and other
winning tennis strokes.
Rush the net with
confidence, knowing you
can strategically place
your next return.
Feel the excitement build
as you challenge your next
opponent and make your
way to the top !
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94021 CRETEIL CEDEX
Entertainment Software
Tél. 33 1 48 98 99 00
~ Amiga is a registered trademark of Commodore/Amiga, Inc.
VUNTINENTAL GIRGUS
Take your Formula 1 racing car
over eight of the world's most
hazardous circuits in an attempt to
become the no. 1-ranked racing
driver in the world. The tracks
range from Brazil to Germany and
each one comes with its own
individual style of hair-raising
COURSE NO. 4 HONACO
CURRENT RANK | NG
1
twists and turns. To progress
through the courses they must be
completed in a set order. There
are several stages to every race,
each with its own time-limit, which
must be beaten to gain an
extended play option. Should your
time expire you will automatically
QUAL IFIED RANK
AL
les | The pian of the race-track will allow you to estimate when the
most deadly corners are about to appear. If you aren’t too hot
a driver, the pit-stop pointers may also help.
iat (Right) This
scantily-clad
blonde will give
you the go-ahead
for the start of the
race before
making a
desperate dash
for safety. Watch
the start light to
the left of the
track.
ie You’d better get into the pits quickly.
The fire acts as a warning that if you
don’t reach a pit-stop pretty damn soon
you’re going to be one barbecued ex-
racing driver. However, if you’re hit for a
second time, your Formula 1 car will spin
uncontrollably across the tarmac, before
finally exploding into a ball of flame.
60 Issue 002 Amiga Action
be disqualified from the race. Your
vehicle can sustain one full
collision which will leave it
smoking away. A warning will then
appear for you to find the next
available pit-stop. Once in, your
pit-stop crew will rush up and
extinguish the fire. If you fail to
pull, in the smoke will transform
into a raging ball of flame, before
finally destroying your car.
At the start of a race you are
presented with a plan view of the
course, along with the travel
direction and the position of the
pit-stops. A petite blonde signals
the start of the race before
sprinting off the track. If you reach
the end, she will be there again to
flag you over the finish line. You
start off in low gear, but a quick
press of the firebutton shifts you
into high. The road zooms
towards you at an alarming pace
and rises and falls to recreate the
effect of hills and ditches. If you
pass each stage within the
allotted time, you will be awarded
with extended play and a new
The race is on! The action moves at a hectic pace and total
control will be needed to steer the car safely to the finish. The
other drivers will have a head start over you, so shift up as soon as
you can, to catch them.
T h e
weather
conditions
vary from
country to
country. A
Pouring
thunderstorm
will hinder
your cornering
speed and
make the road
more slippery.
By no means a perfect conversion, Continental Circus is
still a playable race game. The graphics are large and
bold, with the conversion using sprites ported down from
the coin-op, and the game plays at a fast and furious
pace, leaving no margin for error on later levels. There
are a couple of annoying niggles, such as the ‘Extend’
sign obscuring the action, and getting rammed by cars
when pulling away, but these faults don’t ruin what is a
very fast race game.
time for the next stage. To win a
race, you must pass the other
drivers successfully in order to
raise your own personal world
ranking above that of the
qualifying rank. Failure to do so
will lose you one of your nine
al To gain the
extended
play you must
successfully
complete the
previous stage
before the timer
reaches zero. As
you progress
through the
circuits, the
stage times
become shorter
with each lap
becoming
harder to finish.
lf, however, you
fail dismally,
your racing days
will be over and
it will cost you
one of your nine
credits.
credits. As you progress around
the world, so the weather
changes from brilliant sunshine to
the doom and gloom of a heavy
thunderstorm. Wet roads do not
really help you when taking sharp
corners, and
For a racing game, the in-
game effects aren’t bad
at all. The roar of your
Formula 1 car is very
the
realistic, as is
explosion and screech
when taking the corners.
should you stray into a sign-
board, your car will
instantaneously explode.
All the relevant information
that you will need to race is
| OVERALL RATING |
a (Left) Some
corners are
tighter than others
and severe use of
the brakes may be
called for if you’re
to take the corner
safely and avoid
the other drivers.
GRAPHICS
The race-track itself
moves at an alarmingly
fast pace and _ is,
altogether, very smooth
indeed. The explosion on
your car is quite pathetic
and could have been
much better. Overall,
though - very nice.
displayed at the top of the race
display. In the top-left corner of
the screen is the gear stick, which
shifts up and down as and when
you change gear. The speedo is
capable of 400km/h and should
be monitored when shifting up
and down. As you pass the other
drivers, your rank score will
decrease by one. To successfully
complete a race you must get it
below the qualifying rank
opposite. Will you make no. 1?
™@ (Below) The red barrels
indicate that there is a pit-
stop looming up. Steer your car
into the slip road and brake hard.
Should you miss the pit-stop,
chances are you won’t make the
next lap. Once in, they will rush up
to your car, extinguish the fire and
wave you on.
Made it. And there’s the blonde again, waving you across
the finish line. Finishing is all very well, but did you pass
enough cars to beat the qualifying ranking?
Amiga Action 'ssue 002 & 1
| HEWSON £19.95 _
BATTLE VALLEY
Everything went well at the
recent peace summit, and the
decision to scrap all medium-
range missiles was unanimous.
All missiles were subsequently
destroyed, except two - two
which had been captured by a
group of terrorists. Their
demands were simple: either
their fellow terrorists who were
being held at an American
penitentiary were released, or
both the missiles they had in
GRAPHICS
Adequate, but become
very bland very quickly;
although there are quite
a few different guns and
missile launchers to
keep your interest and
the parallax scrolling is
O.K.; the backdrops
hardly ever seem to
change.
their possession would be
launched. Your mission, if you
wish to take it, is to infiltrate the
various terrorist bases in their
desert outposts - Battle Valley -
in either a tank or helicopter
(which will be provided by the
United States along with a fairly
large sum of money on your
victorious return) and eliminate
the two missiles that pose the
world-wide threat.
Starting from a remote
United States outpost in the
middie of Battle Valley, you
A small tune on the title
page and the usual
rumble of the tank and
swish of the chopper;
but apart from that and
the enemy gunfire,
there’s, unfortunately,
nothing else.
At the
height of
the action you
don’t have to
look very far for
terrorist
presence; but if
the going gets
an on)
remember
_ where your
~, base is and~.
return for
repairs.
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Running low on the ammunition, you pop in to your local
enemy armoury for a stock up. Once you’ve got what you
need you can go out and blow them away with their own bullets.
62 issue 002 Amiga Action
begin your mission by choosing
which terrorist bases to knock-
out first (three in each of the two
directions possible). Once the
decision is made, you take the
controls of your hefty tank in
which you trundle along, easily
disposing of the weak enemy
forces. But soon a problem
arises: the terrorists, noticing the
ease with which you destroy their
forces, have blown several of the
bridges leading to their bases
and now only one solution
remains. You, piloting your trusty
helicopter must fly into enemy
airspace and retrieve the parts
which you need to repair the
bridges so that your tank can
continue the attack.
Replacement ammo can be
acquired from enemy armouries
for both the tank and helicopter,
but time is not on your side and it
won't be long before the
terrorists run out of patience and
launch the missiles, killing
thousands of
| comes down to it, it’s
people and
Although Battle Valley
looks very nice on first
impressions,
unfortunately the game
just seems to lack that
certain addictive quality
and tends to get a bit
tedious after just a few
gos. Trying to collect the
parts for a bridge is
really hard, and
considerable precision is
needed. Battle Valley
initially looked a good
game, but the appeal
soon wore off. When it
certainly not a great
game, but, at the same
time, it’s not a bad one
either.
destroying everything that was
achieved at the peace summit.
Battle Valley is graphically very attractive.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the actual
game, which soon proved to be monotonous.
Progression through the levels is very slow and too
much precision was needed when picking up objects. I
found myself wasting a lot of time desperately trying to
pick up pieces of bridges and extra shells. Battle Valley
could have been much better had a little more thought
been put into it.
3
r
a cee lomeeree ene
ie helicopter, your tank
manages to span the many
bridges and make contact
with the terrorist base. But
there’s still another five to
defeat and time is running
out.
Thanks to the help of the
~ OVERALL —
RATING
Pe Once the hole is
located, you
have the hard task of
putting the
replacement bridge
in place. Be careful,
though, one false
move and the spare
part will be
destroyed.
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“Atari ST, Amiga, |
Mifrorsott Limited Irwin House 118 Southwar :
01928 1454
>
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+
7
F 4
Female Gnome Age
Chaotic Evi
Fighter/Thief
¢
-
‘< mk ee ne
at ieaivels vise)
the
The holy Cleric enters his temple,
weary and exhausted from his
long journey. He makes his way to
his chamber for a night's rest to
prepare him for the many tasks
which will lay ahead in the day yet
to come. Laying his head back on
his bed, he almost immediately
Hillsfar isn’t the hardest
game I’ve ever come
across. In fact, it’s
probably one of the
easiest. Once you’ve
found a quest, it won’t
take long for you to
complete it, and although
there is a fair selection of
different quests, none of
them seem to get really
hard. I think the arcade
parts are unnecessary
and the game would have
been better without them.
Hillsfar is a good game
while it lasts, but as far
as I can see, that’s not
too long.
64 issue 002 Amiga Action
isn’t the most
comfortable
| mode of travel,
so now you’ve
got a horse,
don’t go and
lose it. But if
worst
comes to the
worst you can
always
hitch-hiking.
Before the game
can start, you
need to create a
character. Many
options are
available, but what
type of person are
you? Fighter, mage,
cleric, or thief?
—coeeeene
UG
try
- “ “ sUxX<cro
-
“
a
~
at jet ee TCO
HO OEMOSMOOS
nd
aS
iy
PAizcocsu
drifts off into slumber, but not for
long. Your door bursts open with a
sudden crash, bringing you to
your senses instantly, but with
uncertain relief you recognize the
somewhat distraught, but familiar
face of the master of the temple. It
doesn't take him long to explain
his plight with maddening speed
and, before the conversation is
near an end, you realize that the
145A str anser ap roaches you
fFand says, ”
information that
beg pooch d
5 re>-
5 cetacean ealaalcetahabbalalibatchaibbahanhahd guild, the action will start.
rAVve SsSOoOMe
to you. E wits
night’s rest you were looking
forward to might have to be put
aside for a little longer.
Your adventure begins ata
camp just outside Hillsfar within
the Forgotten Realms, but before
any quest can begin you must
create your character. The
character has a choice of one of
six different races, be it non-
human or human; each race
having its own specific bonuses
(for example, you get +1 to your
dexterity if you're an elf), and
whether your character is male or
female can make a difference.
Now it’s time to decide your
profession. There are four basic
classes in Hillsfar: fighter; mage;
cleric; or thief - although non-
human characters can be multi-
classed, e.g. a fighter-mage-thief.
Next are the ability scores, and
these are something you dont
have total control over. Ability
scores are the statistics which
show how.strong, dexterous,
intelligent your character is: there
are six different scores but it is
not essential that each one is
high. For example, a fighter needs
to be strong but doesn't have to
be that intelligent, although it
does help. The scores will be
Very basic, and sounds
just like the Commodore
64 version.lt seems the
Amiga’s
sound cap-
abilities haven’t been
used in the slightest.
might be:
Mi sbesel
| (Above) The map of
the surrounding realms
has a lot to hide and an
equal amount of danger.
But before you finish the
game you'll be very familiar
with all the routes shown
on the map, and maybe a
few more.
The City of Hillsfar is a
large and grand place,
and whoever you are, there
is always a place for you.
Once you’ve found your
randomly generated by the
computer and the chances of all
scores coming up are high.
Once you have entered the
city, the first thing you should do
is try and locate your Guild or
temple. When found, you can talk
to the guild or temple master, and
this is where your adventuring
career starts. Depending on your
class, you will be sent on certain
tasks - easy to begin with, but
gaining in difficulty as you
progress; all quests will take part
in Hillsfar or the surrounding
country (shown on the map). Entry
to the various houses in Hillsfar is
possible, even if you have to pick
the lock using your thievery skill,
and once inside, chests can
found mostly holding money and
magic items. But beware, some
chests have hidden traps.
There is a selection of arcade
sequences within the game.
Travelling from place to place will
have you riding a horse, and if
you fall off too much you'll find
yourself walking everywhere. An
archery contest must be won by
the fighter to complete his first
quest, and fighting in the arena
will be necessary to complete his
second.
Not bad pictures, but look
as if they’ve just been
enhanced a little bit from
an 8-bit version but,
nevertheless, you can see
what you’re doing.
OVERALL RATING
i“ ve seen elk shoot better than vou.
I’ve seen elk shoot better than you.
You’re doing better than some have
Have you seen my cat
time you come you'll be on the harder targets.
Tnciacnctincedia eect
Hurry up and
Pick the lockt
LOTT By (Right)
— Gladiators calaret With your sword at the ready and a
hunger for fame and fortune, you rush to the centre of the
ring and assail your foe; it won’t be long before you'll be
coming back out again, on your back.
You ha
a knoc
Everything's up for
grabs in this house
and you’re not being
fussy. You've only got
so long before the
guards start looking for -
you, so grab as much as
possible and get out of
there.
Time to prove your judgement and steadiness of hand with the ’
old arrows. While your skill is low you have still targets, but next
gz Keep your ears open in the pub and you could come up
with some interesting information.
raid Sa 2 tS = |
arena battle.
*Listen kid, ya how to beat
Lefty the oO 3 watch him -
close, t he drops his
guar -tacks. ae
end : -h the highest is
the ona tha come at you.
So if the Il t up then you
should give eft to .
counter nir ve also notice
that he figh tern of three
lert blows f£ a PrPight. So
remember what . and he should
be no problem.
-
B (Above) Shifty people
hang out in shifty places,
and in this sort of place you’d
watch your pockets. The
thieves guild is not the best
place to go, unless you're a
thief, that is.
er (Left) Being a thief has its
good points, and this is
one of them. With your set of
picks and tools, no door can
stand in your way, but one
false move and you could find
yourself winding up dead.
There's
no guild for
the Cleric,
b u t
fortunately
the local
temples just
around the
corner.
Se ewe Ua a eet
Trade your horse
Bu anew horse
a o the rader)
eave trading pos
Walk to Hillsfar
Saye
"Welcone to the Ey pe ‘post.
Well the post hasn’t been doing well
lateiy, a man has got to nak money
any wa he can, so I’711 tell you
pane thin I know for 17 gold pieces.
Do you accept this offer?
Yes iff
a After a long journey you arrive at the trading post, but trading’s
not what your here for. Whether you’re just passing through, or
looking for info, you’ll come here at least once during your
adventures.
Amiga Action |ssue 002 G65
re Pull back the bowstring; get the tension; wait for the wind to
die down; and fire. Bullseye! A rabbit jumps across the screen
to confirm your victory and, who knows, if you get much better
you'll be hired for a Strongbow avert.
ee played for quits’ a
while. The graphics and
sound are of superb
quality and the game
itself is brilliant. A lot of
time has gone into
Summer Edition to make
the game as good as you
could possibly wish. The
‘games series’ type of
game nearly always has a
limited lasting appeal, but
as far as I can see,
Summer Edition will keep
you mntused for a long
and qualify for a medal.
Not quite the same as the Tour de France, but nevertheless,
stamina is going to be needed to make it to the end of the race
US GOLD/EPYX £24.99
| THE GAMES:
== SUMMER EDITION
We've had a long, hot summer
and, unfortunately, it looks like it’s
on the way out. Taking its place is
the wind and rain of winter; so
what better time to bring out a
summery-type game. In typical
‘games series-style’, eight players
The Epyx games are my favourite sport sims. Instead of
requiring frantic waggling, simple rhythmic controls are
used to control your onscreen athlete, meaning that skill
is needed to attain a gold medal instead of brute force.
However, in the past, none of ‘The Games’ series has
really taken advantage of the Amiga’s capabilities - until
now! The attractive sequences and the electronic
scoreboards all add to the atmosphere of the
competition, and each event is equally well presented
and playable. Epyx have done a great job with Summer
Edition, and it’s well worth a look.
6G issue 002 Amiga Action
a fd :
¥ 7~ ©? ab — » 4
seice ace eer tors
can play simultaneously, and to
remind you what scores you
should be getting, there's a world
records table.
Archery is the first event on
the list and has you tensing your
biceps as you apply the power of
the bowstring behind your arrow.
Adjust the power to the right
amount and then aim at your
target, but don't forget to allow for
the wind speed as it’s quite high
today. Jump on to your saddle in
the cycling. As soon as the
starter-gun sounds, _ start
pedalling, but remember the track
has been drawn in perfect 3-D, so
get behind your opponent and
stay in his slipstream until the last
second.
Fancy a dip! After adjusting
the tension of your springboard
right direction.
you're ready to make your dive,
but with so many different diving
methods it’s going to be hard to
get the winning combination, and
to make matters worse, the
middle judge seems a bit dodgy
with his scores. Sprinting is only
for the energetic, but when you've
got to jump hurdles as well, things
begin to get really hard. You get a
quick preview of the course
before starting, but just make sure
you don’t make a false start or you
won't be getting any medals. You
step into the gymnasium for the
next event - the uneven bars.
Jumping on to the bars you do
your stuff while fellow teammates
spur you on from the side. Just
make sure you don't miss your
grip. The next event requires a
good grip as well, and your
You have to be a real Geoff Capes to swing the
hammer, but muscle isn’t everything. Get the right
speed on your swing and then launch the hammer in the
And, as I’ve said before, timing is
essential, and the picture below shows what happens to
the people that didn’t take more care. You’ve let go of the
hammer too soon and apparently smashed your monitor!
a You adjust the board to the most springy position and take
your run up; the judges are watching you closely, though, and
will pick out every detail, be they good or bad.
Brilliant music that, for
once, sounds as if the
person that wrote it knew
he had an Amiga, with
tons of great sampled
sounds and spot FX.
muscles will get a good testing
also. Grab hold of the rings and
pull yourself up for the first
manoeuvre. Once a position has
been made, hold it there until you
hear the bell. Pole-vaulting is a
sport combining both speed and
timing, and both will need to be
on top form for you to succeed.
After getting up a good speed,
lower your pole, and bend it to the
right angle for the best jump, but
don't let it bend too much or you
could be doing a Daley
Thompson. Swing in time with the
hammer to get some momentum
and swing it round your head a
few times before you make your
mighty throw. Move your hands in
the wrong way, though, and you
could find yourself tied up and
leaving the games with a bit of a
headache.
| Waggle
the joy-
stick in time
with your
footsteps to
pick up speed,
and then
quickly get
your pole in
the right
position. You'll
be getting the
world record
as well as the
gold at this
rate.
Amazing! Both digitized
and 3-D graphics have
been incorporated into
the game, and the drawn
graphics on their own
deserve an award.
The title in the ‘Games’
series I have ever really
rated is California Games.
However, The Games:
Summer Edition,
surpasses even that in
terms of graphics and
playability. Sound, too, is
of a very high standard,
with a nice’ tune
accompanying each
event. The thing I liked
the most, though, was the
fact that each of the
events is extremely
playable and, unlike past
games in the series, not
one event is * let-cowre
ell Position yourself on the blocks, wait for the gun to raise, and
zoom away as soon the trigger is pulled. The running might be
easy but hurdles are another matter.
SS aa ee ans
ry Ny--1 9) 4
i caaaaidil
cs LAY AARON RA ela ta Riviere ewe aera civ pues ie
_jJ=}a} ts!
Hoisting yourself up by waggling the stick, you must then
perform several joystick-controlled graceful moves.
i “Jolly good show”, your companions shout from the side of the
uneven bars. Many different moves can be performed on the
bars, but each requires great care to be executed correctly. It’s not
just good news and world records you read about in the newspaper
afterwards, though. There’s two different ways to make the front
page: with a medal, or on your back.
GO! FOR IT!
e- ee Rem Soe —s S520 oe eee es ae
a rami
PRBS TRAIAN AIEEE
SPORTS UPDATE
NASI RN ANC RE 2th adoro a aottiars, ’ wae os
ies
Amiga Action /ssue 002 67
OVERALL
RATING
(Below) Special characters are
probably the most important people
that can be hired. Thieves, fighters,
assassins, spellcasters and dragons
can all be acquired for the right price.
The map shows the various lands that can be conquered,
and both of the brothers’ locations. The evil brother’s
dark castle being top left, and the good one’s positioned in
the bottom right.
eaders Rame:Ff
Combat. "Skill ;
Armour Tupe:
Meapon Tupe:
Combat Speed:
Magical Eneray:
Alignment:
Chain
Map Status “hey "ou ores Sword
Character Special
Troops Spells
Build
End Turn
Legend Quit
A self-portrait adorns the left-hand side of the screen,
while the right holds the selection of options available.
The game is totally mouse-driven apart from the fighting
sequence which is done with either the joystick or keys.
There's a large choice of leaders, each having his or her own
particular skills, whether it be fighting or spelicasting. But,
usually, the more money you spend, the better deal you get.
Legend, although it
doesn't look it is a very
complex game, but
The map doesn't look
that great, but this
nevertheless, good to
play. The gameplay is
strategically
‘hard at the beginning.
Legend’s gameplay is
‘similar tay but more
‘Kingdoms of ‘England
reviewed is this issue.
But has a lot more
lasting interest and is
significantly harder to
beat. Legend is a
‘worth a look. | :
Within Legend you play the part
of one of two brothers, one
good, one evil, Step onG
against each other to take
control of the surrounding lands
and become the ruler of the
Kingdom. At the start of the
game you have a small amount
of money which you receive as
revenue from the land on which
your castle is placed. With this
you can hire leaders and troops
to go forth and take over
adjacent territories, and claim
their revenue to increase your
income for the next month; also,
Although it doesn’t look up to much, Legend isa very
deceptive game. The strategic gameplay had me
exercising brain cells I'd forgotten I had, and, before I
knew it, | was really enjoying myself. The game offers’
a long-term task and will prove very difficult to beat,
but, luckily, it has that ‘one more go’ feeling to entice
you back. If you are looking for worthwhile Defender
of the Crown-style game, take a look at Legend.
68 Issue 002 Amiga Action
buildings such as mines can be
placed on certain lands to
increase their value or provides
better protection for it.
Spells can also be acquired
depending on the amount of
magic points you possess. Both
defensive and offensive spells
can be learnt; ‘lightning’ and
‘fireball’ are just two of the
spells that can be used to
damage your brother’s armies,
while ‘cure’ and ‘heal’ can be
used at home to boost your
own armies’ health, the more
costly one usually being the
more effective.
Special characters can also
be hired to help you overcome
your brother. There are eight
different characters to choose
from, each performing his own
special task, such as: helping
you with spells by reducing the
amount of magic points you
doesnt affect the game
in any way. There are a
few nice pictures here
and there and the
character portraits are
Yo
Just some very high-
pitched beeps and
nothing else, and too
much of them would
probably give me a
headache, so just grab
that volume switch.
have to spend on particular
spells; stealing your brother’s
money or assassinating his
leaders; or even hiring a
Dragon to give your army that
little edge in their future battles.
The war will not end until either
the side of good or evil wins.
: - , es ed) am : ees
. ES “3 sed >= ee : om Nae SO = iS oe = ee
. s hh Gee oe in te be a i ie ee ~
P
ga Ue,
Wee tds, yg ip
e
Battle field
af
Sd
—«s ARS
re Sate
Fs
“
fe, )
ij O My Pi Gy ris fF) .
4 ts iw 4 if “jf ; “p or ip
hh MY LUG. TEL LZ
TH & 200
ea — CHAAARGE |!!! Dive into the hilarious
94 world of the Belgium comic book “LES
TUNIQUES BLEUES” (CAUVIN & LAMBIL). For one or two
players, you are either Yankee or Confederate, so re-
creating the true atmosphere of the American Civil War.
NORTH & SOUTH, an original, explosive cocktail of strategy and arcade.
Surround your enemy using the strategic map of the American East Coast.
Crush them on the super arcade battle field. Send your best men to stop the
gold-filled trains, and then rush the forts to free the enemy occupied towns.
NORTH & SOUTH, a game filled with options. Start the game from a
SE ORML DUEUIS Available on AMIGA, ATARI ST 2 DISKS, PC compatibles 2 DISKS.
choice of four different years, three levels of diffi-
culty and a special disaster mode which includes
violent storms stopping all movement of troops,
re-inforcements arriving from Europe, and not
forgetting the Indians and Mexicans whose only
pleasure in life is attacking you!
If that wasn't enough to wet your appetite, you can also choose between a
"strategy-only” game and an “strategy-arcade game", and with the
superb 2 players version that has to be played to be believed, it only
leaves us to give the order “To your sabres !!"
UNCERTIFIED
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PRE-FORMATTED DISKS 1-100 ADD 20p PER DISK AND PLEASE STATE FORMAT REQUIRED IE: AMIGA, ST, PC ETC
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NAVIGATOR £10.99 £21.50 GENIUS GM6 PLUS MOUSE £34.00 ATARI ST/AMIGA 4 PLAYER JOYSTICK ADAPTOR £4.95
PRINTER RIBBONS QTY 1 QTY 2 QTY6& QTY1 QTY 6
AMSTRAD 8256 £3.99 £7.50 £18.00 EPSON LX 800/LQ 800 £3.50 £6.50 £14.90
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RRP
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Prices are correct at time of going to press (E & OLE. )
ot ed FN Ey Bl
BATMAN
You start your patrol as Batman in
Gotham’s chemical factory where
you've heard there might be a bit
of a disturbance. You heard right.
As soon as you enter the factory,
gangsters assail you from all
sides, shooting bullets and
throwing hand-grenades at you all
the time. Using your rope you
climb to the platform above and.
launch a batch of Batarangs at
your enemies, then jump down
Superb graphics that are
well drawn and look like
what they’re meant to be
representing. Unfor-
tunately, they tend to lose
a bit of the dark
atmosphere the film had,
but it doesn’t affect the
game.
onto the head of a baddie passing
below. The assault continues non
stop, but with your high-tech
equipment you make it past
everyone and reach the head
man, Jack Napier, only to see him
fall head first into a huge vat of
acid and to his certain doom - or
so you think.
Jumping into the seat of your
trusty Batmobile, you zoom off
down the street and away from the
factory. Even though your car can
reach speeds of up to 255 mph,
that doesn't make the police any
The game’s music isn’t
particularly memorable,
but is more than
adequate. It is the game’s
sound effects, however,
that steal the show.
easier to avoid, for after every
third turning off your present
course, they have pinpointed your
position and are waiting for you.
Without slowing down, you shoot
a tow cable from the side of the
batmobile and take the next
corner just in time to avoid the
roadblock ahead - but there's
plenty more waiting.
You finally make it to the
Batcave and, without rest,
immediately begin to work out the
warped puzzle that has been set
by the Joker to cause maximum
disruption to Gotham. Logging
into the Bat-computer you take
the eight most likely chemical-
carrying toiletries and mix them
together to find the right
combination. Each time you mix a
sample, the Bat-computer will
bring up an analysis of how many
chemicals it contains, but not from
which of the three ingredients:
only combining the different
combinations can you work out
the answer - but will you succeed
in time?
The Joker has taken to the
streets and intends to let loose his
evil laughing gas on the people of
Gotham City, but not as long as
Batman has something to do with
it. Taking to the skies in the jet-
propelled Batwing, Batman zooms
low through the streets of Gotham,
cutting the cables of the gigantic
balloons and letting them float
away harmlessly into the
atmosphere to burn up.
Retreating to the top of
Gotham’s cathedral, the Joker
seeks refuge from the wrath of
Batman, leaving his loyal
henchmen to guard the route to
the top. Pulling out the Batarangs
(Below) The route back
ia You enter Axis Chemicals”
building in search of
master criminal, Jack Napier.
As you make your way through
the maze-like building, you
must avoid the energy-sapping
leaking chemicals and the gun-
toting felons, until you come
face-to-face with the dapper
Napier. Throwing a batarang,
you cause him to lose his
footing and plummet into a
large vat of toxic chemicals.
Now your problems are really
starting.
to Wayne Manor is
indicated by arrows, and you
have three attempts to fire
out a cornering rope to steer
you around the corner. If you
fail to turn, though, you will
be caught in a Police trap, as
a suspected crook.
i gE gagag! jie
ad
=”
>: ol |
i e # é
* * Bo: - ad
; ee. E g a se
“Jack is dead, my friend.
i am The Joker..."
od
=
> aaa :
72 issue 002 Amiga Action
once again, you spray the
advancing adversaries, disposing
of them in no time at all.
Cumbersome rats and rotting
wood also hinder the progress of
the Dark Knight's ascent. Will
Batman make it to the top, or will
the zany Joker have the last
laugh? Only you and your skills
can answer these questions.
ae
ia it
eee et
Kiting *F®
xé ee, gre ae
a ae ees .
1 ect
hie ws
‘ey Gh Sei ae plist a
[ea Unfortunately,
you can’t dodge
all the bullets and
grenades launched at
you, but until the
energy bar at the
bottom centre of the
screen totally
depletes you'll be able
to keep on going.
| (Below) The Joker has left several of his deadly laughing
gas-filled ballons tied along the city's roads. Piloting the
futuristic Batwing, you must fly through the narrow streets,
severing the balloons’ ties with your wings, causing them to
float harmlessly away. Hit too many solid objects, though, and
your craft will ignite and explodeshortly after (Inset).
hy (Above) Close on the heels of the
Joker, you enter the cathedral
and start to make your way to the top
in pursuit, but you’ll have to
overcome his many minions on the
way.
DISTANCE
95.2,
i Find the right combination of household
goods to foil the Joker's vicious plan. The
Bat-computer will tell when you have the right
one, but you only have a few chances to get it
right.
SELENE LE LAI OT LI ITE IT, EEE ILI LIL EIT EL EO EAE TELE LE EE AE EES EIN I I I SE
a +4 seen t shite: & = re : cehere : a4 Seeasaese Fi 5 | : xe
3 hil : : Rae: StSt Tee ; ; Pee ER STEERS Ft - Lees
a Swinging in, the caped crusader attaches himself to the platform
above and hoists himself upward, escaping the many bullets that
fly in his general direction.
Amiga Action |ssue 002 73
presents
The: Crusader
if Justice.""
For the past.5.years you
ave been away fighting ‘in
ie Holy. Land. When. you
lally »return home, your
ther, The King, has: been:
eposed by your - brutal)
icle, and .- terror. are
opression. now — rule this |
1ce-serene Kingdom. 3
You» must recover the 4
rone, inant eee
However... deceit’. and:
zachery. are. everywhere
y@ you must prove your
rthright §.fhrough guile
1d trials. of: combat “in -3
‘chery, arm-wrestling and “3
vord-play....
This is: ‘a’. magnificent
dventure set in a medie-
3: world, where your strat-
j¥4S as important as yOUr
rength.
vi -_e
Screenshot on ST
SULeOnSHOl on ST
Screenshot Screenshot on ST
on Amiga
Available on Amiga, ST,
°C, Amstrad, C64 and
Spectrum
Dig
Screenshot on ST
ibuted/by UB! UK
=NUE, BRONDESBURY, LONDON NW6 7NR
&
——
Al
SORFWARE SUCCESS MARKETING
> : A Alban House, 24A White Pit Lane, Flackwell Heath,
PC and Compatibles, and Archimedes [| | Nr igh Wycombe, Bucks HP10 SHR.
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
a {-)(-¥: lm DF- 1 c- wr 4o yd RO leaue) ol) a
A“)
Sj
——
7 i)
I
mM
>
=
It seems that just lately the bases
around the Universe have been
suffering badly at the hands of an
alien invasion. Just lately, these
slimy unwanted visitors have been
laying eggs within the bases and
feeding on the hapless
inhabitants. It is your job as a
member of the renowned
Xenophobe squad to enter the
bases and retrieve certain items
that have been scattered around
the many different complexes. A
Xenophobe is described as
someone who hates aliens. And,
by crikey, you certainly hate
aliens, which makes you ideal for
the missions.
There are three squads of
three characters to choose from,
76 Issue 002 Amiga Action
MICROSTYLE £24.95
and up to two members of the
Squad may play as a team at the
same time. One plays at the top of
the screen, the other at the
bottom. Once you have chosen
your character, you will be given
the mission briefing and then
transported to the infected base.
There are, basically, two types of
PLAYER
OR PR
mission. On some, you will only
need to collect valuable items and
evacuate the base safely. Others
will require you to find the
program disks and escape the
base before the timer runs down
and it self-explodes. The objects
found around each base will
improve your bonus at the end of
ONE
ESS
the mission, These vary from fuel,
bombs and knives, to tools, cash
and keys. Also found around the
base are extra weapons with
varying firepower. Your character
begins his mission with a simple
phasor. The aliens attack thick
and fast and can prove quite a
handful at times. Face-huggers
latch themselves on to your body
and cling like leeches, while slimy
tentacles slither from the floor and
ceiling, intent on grabbing any
passer-by. Any alien scum that
make contact with you will
instantly sap your energy,
although items of food and drink
will restore your energy when
collected. As the aliens increase
in size, they also become more
resistant to your firepower. To
The Xenophobe squad is a motley crew of discards. But each one has the same purpose in mind:
to clear the universe and your bases from all alien scum.
¢het ad
+ rae eee ie 4
bm bee te i 8 t
After the mission briefing, your ship leaves the mother ship
and heads towards the base where the invading aliens are
running riot through the complex.
Lying on the _ ground,
strewn throughout the
levels, are a number of useful
objects. Ranging from a Swiss
army knife to a flask, these
items can be exchanged for
bonus points between levels.
(Left)
Adorning
the later levels,
is a network of
lifts. By
activating a
nearby button,
it can be used
to get you
between
decks.
However, SB
quicker way
down is by
simply falling
down the
‘chute - but,
unfortunately,
cost you
energy.
The many characters are
very weird in appearance,
but appearances can be
deceptive. The rest of the
game _ is
bland and
unoriginal. Fortunately,
the graphics don’t really
affect the game's
playability too much.
progress through the complex you
must pass through the doors. But
beware! Large, tentacled aliens
lurk around the doors in search of
excellent title tune, with
a thumpy beat and a
repertoire of effective
sounds. The in-game
effects, although not as
varied, are also very
atmospheric.
prey,
The main object of each
mission is to collect the disks and
the code paper before the time
limit runs out. Once these have
As well as bonus goodies, your team can
also collect the enhanced weapons that
adorn the ground. Of all the weapons, the laser is
the most powerful, but there are also extremely
weak weapons that reduce your shot power.
past them.
Every
time you
come into
contact with
an alien, your
energy bar is
substantially
reduced.
Several hits
can be taken,
each one Of all
knocking you nasties,
down for a
while, but if
Only visible when they poke their
heads around the door, these shy
aliens only grab you when exiting
ceiling and floor-
based tentacles are
The only thing missing from the coin-op version of
Xenophobe is the three-player option, but that was only
to be expected. All of the graphics and sound are
identical, as is, unfortunately, the weak gameplay. No
matter which of the nine characters you choose,
Xenophobe offers a very repetitive task of tearing
around the various decks obliterating the difficult-to-kill
aliens. This lack of variety isn’t the programmers’ fault,
but a fault of the coin-op. Only for die-hard Xenophobe
fans.
been collected, you must search
for the computer terminals and
insert the disks. You will be either
transported to a new location in
the base or you will complete the
mission. Switches, when pressed,
will also operate lifts which will
OVERALL RATING
take you up or down a level. Once
your mission has been
successfully completed and you
have escaped from the base, you
will be given a bonus for each
item salvaged and briefed with a
new mission.
Gaping holes
punctuate
some of the more
dangerous ships,
and if these are to
be passed, you
must execute a
perfectly-timed
leap. Miss, and you
will waste valuable
time falling down
the deep holes.
The reptiles are the fully-grown
spawn of the egg-sacs. These
large lizards roll from room to room,
knocking you over as they go, and
require a large number of shots
before they die.
the These
face-
the huggers leap at
your character and
attach themselves
like leeches. If you
your energy
bar expires
then you are
reduced to
bones, and it
is ‘game
over.
the most deadly. If
they get hold of
you, your energy is
rapidly drained
unless you can
shake them off.
don’t shake them
off in time they will
sap your energy
drastically.
The egg-sacs
are the cause
of the face-
huggers. They
pulsate before
finally opening up
like a flower. The
face-hugger will
then crawl out.
Amiga Action /ssue 002 v4 4
ACTUAL SCREENSHOTS £19.95
The year is 1944 and the allied
bombing runs on Germany have
increased and become more
devastating than ever before. It is
your job to take part in these
bombing runs - as a tailgunner.
Before you can begin your
mission, you must select what
type of bombing raid you will
participate in: whether it be a day,
night or dawn raid. Obviously, the
less light you have, the harder the
bombing run will be. Three
gunners are available to choose
from, and each has his good and
bad points. For the novice,
Thompson is probably the best
choice, as the enemy aircraft are
much easier to hit. Unfortunately,
he will have to fly thirty missions
in order to be decommissioned.
Pennington is the best pilot.
Along with his dashing good
looks and unwavering coolness in
battle, Pennington has
successfully completed twenty
missions already, and although
that means there are only ten
missions to complete - they're
going to be the hardest you've
ever flown. With your choice of
pilot selected, you may enter your
personal callsign and view the
mission briefing. The briefing will
indicate, via a map, where you
will take off from and where you
should be destined for. The
mission will then begin, and your
crew will board the Lancaster and
take off - 3D style.
To make your way to the
bombing site in Germany, you
there just isn’ t enough
78 Issue 002 Amiga Action
Although | subigar are
elements | flight
simulation in gE 2
the game is ultimately
| reigniiedt iret ary hae
must guide your RAF flag from
your base to the German cross,
using the cursor. It is best to
avoid the town, as this is where
the enemy planes will be lurking.
A conflict-free mission is
extremely rare and sooner or later
it will be time to face the Hun. The
action takes place through the
rear-gunner’s glass outlook.
Messerschmitts and Heinkels
attack your squadron from all
angles. Your selected pilot will
occasionally shout back, “What
the hell's going on back there?”
He will also warn you when the
enemy planes are about to
attack. Not only do enemy planes
attack, flak is also fired at you
and barrage balloons
occasionally fly past. Once the
attacks have been fought off your
bomb doors will open, revealing
the target site below. As soon as
you have correctly aligned your
sites with the target, it’s “bombs
away!” You only have a limited
supply of bombs so each one
must count. Once the raid is over
it's time to head back to Britain.
Once again, you must guide your
plane safely back to your home
base while avoiding any enemy
confrontation. When the plane
has finally landed you will be
greeted by either your mother,
wife or girlfriend - depending on
who you chose as your pilot. They
will have some comforting words
for your return: “| really missed
you.” Thanks.
Visibility, or the lack of it, was a major factor when attempting
bombing raids. Obviously, the darker the conditions, the harder
the run will be. Three types of raid are available.
Jennings
age > ates
GWG SOL GIESIER
The three pilots all have varying skills in the air: Thonpeon isa
novice, while Pennington is the most experienced and will
attempt only the hardest of missions.
Commander
JENNINGS ©
Ml acE:s5
“Successful
Information will be given about the pilot you have selected.
But remember: this information is top secret, so not a word to
anyone.
The time for the miss
wy rt we, Ww
ion has finally arrived, and so all the crew loyally board their
Lancaster bomber. All the propellers are engaged and slowly the plane moves off.
ra
(Below) Flak shells are also
released into the air and
must be shot down quickly,
otherwise they will damage
your bomber. Let too many of
them hit you and you'll have to
bale out.
is if you are put
out of action
by the enemy,
your crew will
bale out and will
have a chance to
fight another day.
Sadly, some of the
crew may perish.
| The plane leaves the hangar and
good old England in superb 3D
fashion. Once in the air you must
guide your plane, represented by an
RAF badge, away from England and
on a direct course to your target,
somewhere in Germany.
(Above) By avoiding the towns it may be possible to avoid any
confrontation with the enemy. Unfortunately, this is not always
the case. The enemy planes will come in thick and fast - guns
blazing.
(Left) Once the target has
been reached the bomb-bay
doors will swing open, revealing
the target installations. For
finer accuracy, you may zoom in
to pick out minor details. When
the cursor is lined up you must
press the firebutton and release
the bombs, which are. limited in
supply. If the hit is successful,
the target will explode.
OVERALL
RATING
Hmmmm, if Lancaster
required more than just
shooting it would be
great. Unfortunately, all I
seemed to do was blast
loads of Germans out of
the air with my rear-
gunner - hardly exciting,
and very repetitive. The
graphics and sound are
fine; the graphics being
particularly impressive.
But it seems _ that
throughout the war, the
Germans only had two
attack patterns - no
wonder they lost. Faults
like these make
Lancaster a weak game
with not enough
substance to make it
worthwhile.
The 3D section of the
plane taking off is very
nice indeed, as are all the
graphics in the game. The
battle sequences are all
in 3D and add realism to
the Lancaster. Bombing
the target sites has also
been well put together.
Yo
After an extremely
atmospheric intro tune,
Lancaster seems to drop
its standards. The sound
doesn’t detract from the
overall game but maybe a
few more realistic sound
effects could have been
included.
Yo
Amiga Action /ssue 002 79
OCEAN £24.95
An excellent title tune
suits the purpose of the
game superbly. Speech is
included, and although it
sounds a little muffled at
times, it certainly adds to
the overall realism.
At last, you've made it. That court, with a net separating the
renowned World Beach Volley _ two halves. To start the game, one
Trophy is now within you and your team lobs the ball over the net
team’s grasp. First though, you're into the opponents half. The ballis stand menacingly around the
going to have to travel around _ then returned by either punching, court. The ball is passed around
some of the greatest cities in the | kneeing or heading it. Each team _—‘ the court until someone attempts a
world in an exciting elimination is allowed three touches of the slam shot, where the players,
contest, where only one team can ball before it has to be smacked dressed in nothing but their beach
be the winner. The first match for over the net. Got it? Good. shorts, wait by the net for a pass,
your team will be in the historic As mentioned, your first team leap up into the air and smash the
city of London. The game of match is in the wonderful city of ball into the opponent's half. If you
Beach Volley, basically, revolves London. The Houses of time it just right, your defending
around two teams of two players Parliament and Big Ben grace the player may
each. The two teams play on a __ skyline, while the Queen's Guards be able
The player
serves the
ball by throwing
... it into the air,
: leaping up and
striking it into
the opponents’
ie. half. Should you
Z secuculel. = ee shot, the other
Rule Britannia! London’s your cis
first port of call and if you want ! ious
to see the other exotic locations,
©
you’re gonna’ have to do mighty 2
well here. *
i St team will be
Pe awarded a point.
<scaieoh Gif Cf OPEL
‘ 2 aii J
sepotnatatsal seine
ede hE
Your team have a veritable array of moves. They may pass and return
the ball by either heading it, kneeing it or punching it up into the air.
ge a Ke ~~
» 9) In between each location ml
you are treated to a
i>. «* * * humorous sketch which is in
ns some way linked to the next
country. Here we see one of your |
team tumbling down a path, in a @
rickshaw - obviously Japan.
The most preferred scoring shot of all Beach Volley
players is the net slam. By launching himself into the
air the player strikes the ball down into the other half of
the court.
80 sve 002 Amiga Action
GRAPHICS
Some nifty little game
effects, like the travel
sketches, really make
Beach Volley stand out.
The characters are
perfectly suited to this
game and move smoothly
and convincingly.
to leap up also, and block the
slam. A blue cursor on the court
shows where the ball will land and
if you can’t reach the ball
comfortably, you may be able to
make a desperate dive to reach it.
When leaping for the slam, the
jump must be timed perfectly,
otherwise your player will swing
to shoot, miss, and fall back to the
Being on the other end of a slam can cause quite a few problems. The
ball comes so fast, chances are that you will miss it, although you may
dust, his ego somewhat bruised.
The character presently under
your control is indicated by a
flashing hand that points above
his head. A fancy clock to the left
of the screen flashes away in no
time at all, and if you don't take
control of the game in the early
stages, you won't be seeing all
those other beautiful locations.
Each different location comes with
its own graphical display of the
landscape’s most well-known
landmark, and you are welcomed
to each country by a voice
speaking in the native tongue. You
are also treated to humorous little
sketches involving your team as
you travel around the globe, as
well as a map which indicates
your routes.
Other levels, of which there
are eight, see you visiting Sydney,
Tokyo, Moscow and Paris, each
with its own unique backdrop and
characters. If you win the match,
a player will signal the victory with
just be able to dive and keep the ball up.
What's it all for?
This is what: the
gold, coveted World
Beach Volley
Championship
trophy. Win this and
the girls will be
flocking around you.
When I first heard the
amazing sound and saw
the outstanding graphics,
Beach | Volley really
looked like it was going
to be a corker. How
wrong 1 was. This game
has got everything going
for it, except the most
; important thing: game
in
long to pik: up a game,
but I couldn’t even get off
the first level on this one.
Beach Notley is a state of
the art game
but it’s
just too frustrating ae
enjoy. — see :
the thumbs up. Should you lose,
his face will sink into his hands in
a state of depression.
you visit.
There is only one thing
that stops Beach Volley
being my favourite game
this month, and that’s its
difficulty level. Everything
else is good: the superbly
animated and colourful
graphics; the jaunty
tunes; and the humorous
backdrops. However, it is
probably unlikely that you
will ever see the later
screens, as your first
opponents are practically
impossible to beat. The
reason they are so hard
isn’t down to the control
method, which is a doddle
to use, but just becaue
they are so good! Apart
from this, Beach Volley IS
good - it just should have
been easier to get into.
Te ee ed
“Welcome to Sydney.” The Sydney Opera House
greets you as you enter Aussie land. A different
backdrop is included with every different location that
Ride the wild
surf. Being
typical beach bums,
your team surf their
way to Bermuda.
Unlucky as always -
one team member
gets carried back into
the ocean by a whale.
Nea (Above)When
defending against
a slam, if you are lined
up with the attacking
player and you time it
correctly, you will be
able to leap up with
him and, hopefully,
block the ball.
Amiga Action Issue 002 8 1
(Below) Bef. beginni t
OL eT We CMe ee cciect the ‘going’. Several race track
surfaces are available. But remember - you
want to win, not lose. ri :
The animation on the
horses has been quite
nicely defined, although
that’s about it. There
aren’t really any other
graphics, as they are not
that important in a game
such as this.
Yo
(Left) The betting office is where you must
place your race bet. Select the amount by
picking the dollar bills - but make sure you
don’t go over your limit.
The commentator has
been digitized and
certainly adds
atmosphere to the game,
as does the thundering
t sound of the horse's
fu” AMON hooves as they charge
down the race track.
fal (Below) Six horses are available for
your delectation, along with their
‘odds’ and their names. Remember your
horse's number, otherwise you wont
know if you are winning or losing.
TYPE oF BET i i fyOREE
RACE: 1 ED GF Place 2 4
Pixe@ &
ey (Above) Once the race is over, your race card is me Oo
displayed. This is where you'll find out how much
you’ve won - if any. Lose and the total bet is deducted ©
from your cash.
behcceeccedcccceccccciccccccccid
Current Bets For Whitey
sy ¢ Of Bet istCHoerser2a2nd Anoun t
a PrP R® PP Roe Bet Hon
Although I’m not a real-
pee 2 life betting person, Daily
This is your own personal race card, and displays
i) all the Snes siceanatic about the Sane Hea Double I must say is
horses and the amount you have placed as a bet. quite addictive. Just like
fruit machine simulators,
being able to gamble
away money, which you
nearly always lose, is
great fun but, as always,
when you win you don’t
get anything in return.
With more than one
player Daily Double
could keep you
interested for ages, but,
unfortunately, for
someone who doesn’t
usually bet, I can see
this game being unused
after the initial new
found fun has worn off. |
If you haven’t already
"And they're off”, yells the Several betting options are All six horses line up at the pe = dah bg ergs
commentator as ie six available here - from Place (where _ starting gate. And with a call of of ete d aH he A vi <
racehorses leap from the starting you betonthe 1st and 2ndhorses “And they're off”, the horses ee hy Raaethaan a na
gate. Horse Racing gives you the in a race) to Parlays (betting on thunder down the course. ‘st, i at sg mya ‘bbl
chance to bet on a winner and ___ two horses from any of the ten 2nd and 3rd place are all pope ee pcre
hopefully win some money. On races). There are six horses to displayed at the bottom of the iavuilably proves
entering your name you must choose from, each with its own _ race track, and change as the sdidictive nd Dail
select the ‘going’ for the races strange name. Ahorse is selected horses jostle for the best Doubl . Sekt i 4
that you will be betting in and the by moving the mouse, To actually positions. With the finishing post = eo haat betting eae -
amount of money that you wish to — set your bet, you must pick up the __ in sight, the horses give a final le wxtrametl oo
Start with. The courses range from $20, $10, $5 and $1 bills till you burst. “And the winner is...”, calls friendl d y t et
good to firm and will affect the have reached the amount you — out the commentator. If you wish, dibechigeal Atenibattin yes, Mb
: into. | would advise
way in which the horses perform _ wish to place. The total is then you may select to see an action playing this with your
bed (Right) As soon as
the signal is given
the horses bolt from the
start line. And it's neck
and neck midway
through the race. They
all make a flurry to the
finishing post. Definitely
a photo finish!
over the ten races. subtracted from pocket cash. _ replay in slow-motion. Your score mates as this increases
Next stop is the betting shop After viewing your bets you may card is then updated and you are the ax fctaaisin
where you may place your bets. — select start to see the race. informed if you have won, f
82 Issue 002 Amiga Action
f
N Ang
bh TIME
> SCANNER
Cay AN
BORBROS — MAIL
we ORDER
ST Amiga : ST Amiga
aa = 1 eg a = OE 15.99....... Hl All our hardware includes Vat and ee Ba areas agree
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i iaeeameceaee samme AMIGA 500 Magle Joho 12.99 12.89
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action Fighter." 18994399 | WB 13, Kickstart 1.3 tutorial extra's, | Moth warauders 2. 16.99... 16.88
ompilation) ; mouse and manuals £3 Ninja Warrior... 13.99...13.99
Action 1 or 2 (compilation) 3. 13. Ninja Warrior ee 13.99 ....13.99
BOMBED 888A. wana Ob North and South. "45'9977-7"45.99
Bankok Knights............................. NOUPOMANCE ooo suo uosucucecccececececoce at 17.99
Balance ae Power 1990 As above + 10 game pack and DRI IET WNUING sss cise Zenchcsscecesvccsccices 16.99.......16.99
Barbarian II Photon Paint £399.95 Operation Thunderbolt................. 43.99.....:. 16.99
Barbarian II (Psygnosis) ................ Outrun Europa............................. 10.99.......10.99
OE a i UMN eae 15.99.....15.99
Bose <i RRL. on ‘99 AMIGA 500 +1084S PRN Sooo csscicactovcacstceitaeet 12.99.......12.99
Bismark SRE SE : Colour monitor pack inc 10 free Alay apap pinanaeenansbaFaraeeeeeeee ats bsthicag bie
er ea games/Photon Paint £599.95 “+ sh coeiaaitedmmmammaaiinninansns ee
Beach Volley. 13.99.......16.99 | ES 13.99......16.99
CHASO Boi oococeccdesoscsoscseseresecsseeee43.99.......46:09 C1900 Police Quest Il.......ccececsccococeccceeeee., 15.99.......15.99
Chaos SURES BACK. ons sccocccscscuce nae éovenae aan monochrome monitor £99.95 - Ponti POCO aienstneernteriveron A ere
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Dreadnought NR | ATARI 520STFM RICK DANGETOUS. «ccccocsccessscccoceccececs 15.99.......15.99
DEMONS TOMD ......--...sececcceceese00-13.99 Mouse, manuals, basic 2 A, anaes. 13.99 fet 16.99
fotneee 13.0043, and language disc £269.95 Spay Shy a organi | Span
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Dynamite DUX...............................13.99.......16.99 ATARI 520STFM POWERPACK Rainbow 1 OEM 15.99....... 15.99
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poe at Hercules ............................16. Roadwars 1 EA 3.99 a 13.99
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ie eee 45 with modulator, mouse Space Savage... 743799 43/99
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Ferrari Formula One 22 1799...17.88_| ATARI 1040STFM BUSINESS PACK =| Syd (Tr 93-98 13 9g
Forgotten Worlds. a ay Se) 13.99.......13.99 As above with database, spreadsheet, Space Quest ill.............................. 49.99.......19.99
Grand PIX -CIPOUIE -.senciessesonscascnesoes Ars 19.99 wordprocessor and ST Basic £449.95 PO SS aE RETR aS 16.99.......16.99
ERETAM MIN goes cs cccsoac ccocoase 13.99......13.99 st eve Davis Snooker..................... 1 2.99 m- 42.99
Giants ‘Com <8 ieee oe so ATARI SC1224 Story $0 Far Voi 7 (Compilation) 212.99 .--.42.99
Grand ONSTOT SIAN ...ccscnscecnacsoases 13.98 wake 13.99 Colour monitor £299.95 story So Far Vol 3 (Compilation) . 12. 99 ase 12.99
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Hard Drwving ES ees (0 ee EXTERNAL DRIVE shufriepuck Cafe cern 13.99 ce 13.99
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Hot Shot CRTC TAD iis ie ae Mitte patcecs 13.99 10 3 1/2” Blank discs........... £8.95 ST Mouse+Holder+Mat....£29.95 Sleeping Gods Lie ..............e--ccese ryt s naaal eas
Indiana Jones (Lucas Films) .......... 1 ge ee 17.99 Joystick Extenders ............ £5.95 Navidat jOyStick............. £41.95 Triad - Nea _ oi aL eee: 6.99....... foe
Indiana Jones (US Gold)................ a jens Pro 5000 jOYStiCK .....eseso.. TV Sports Foo ee puokeecesenenebbbnseradis P 6977°"49'99
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Wer Boke. o.cttk thine 16.99.......16.99 _ {Amiga Mouse + Holder Disc storage BOX BO... 7 5 UMS 2 renner 15.99....15.99
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Last Ninja Il
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me COMP PRICE
| a
I
a ee oe Se ee
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a ae
BPEL
SOFTSELLERS
6 Bond St., Ipswich, Suffolk. IP4 1JB
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WIRING? coc scancselace Secuacatcoes Seincacd audeladhes
wie
9.99
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9.99
REAL
AUS RISTERS—
~~ t—)
(Si (Below) The game’s title screen comes up and the music starts to
play. Kingdoms of England is a copy of Defender of the Crown and
unfortunately, although the gameplay is better, it’s still much too easy.
At the beginning of the game you start with just the
bare essentials; land, castle, army, anything you want,
you’re going to have to fight for.
.
It can quite easily be said that
Defender of the Crown was one of
the most famous games to make
b “inadoms o an appearance on the Amiga. For
England Fcoeaatior wait to its day the graphics were top
try it out. On first) Quality, and even by today's
im essions the game’s standards they still hold their own;
brilliant and seems to the sound was atmospheric and
have the gameplay reached new boundaries. The
Defender didn’t. But, only problem that Defender had
unfortunately it doesn’t| VS the gameplay - there wasnt
take long to get the hang, 2"). and on just your first or
of it and the game is then second go you could quite easily
Og ee Pe ie eee einen ly beaten. As far as I beat the game. Kingdoms of
w@ You stop for a quick interlude and a chance to prove you're a can see Kingdoms will be England is without a doubt a
wit aetna: ert SS . archery isn’t as easy as it looks and the fo " ak ater just clone of Defender, but don't let
a few goes. It’s too easy| = “al put you off.
for me to recommend it. You are a Baron, one of many
that live within the confines of
hea Protection means prevention. Keep your lands guarded and — = =e
the other Barons won’t invade you unless they have to; but mS Clicking the left mouse button on your enemies’ lands will let
now you've improved your castle, you won’t have to worry about you see how many armies he’s got. But considering your
this piece of land. outnumbering him three to one, you should be O.K.
B84 Issue 002 Amiga Action
[wa Your first stop is the market. From here you can upgrade the structure
of your castle and hire more men for your all-important armies, but first
you’ve got to get the money.
England, and like all the others
you will stop at nothing to gain
power and become the most
powerful man in the land. Four
human players can_ play
simultaneously in one game, and
when you include the four
computer-controlled players as
well, there’s quite a bit of action
going on. At the beginning of the
game each player starts with a
castle, one county under his rule,
and about 250 silver pieces to
buy and assemble an army from
the local market. Many men can
be hired from the market, ranging
from the humble soldiers right on
up to the glorious knights. More
than one army can be bought at a
time, and up to four armies can
be present in one county at the
same time (i.e. you can have four
armies in each county, there’s 62
counties, allowing you to have up
to 248 armies in the game). Once
a force has been brought together
you can start to invade the
Surrounding lands, which are
mostly unowned in the early
stages of the game, increasing
your revenue and allowing you to
upgrade your invading forces the
next month.
Every so often an archery
contest will be held, and here
each _ baron will put forth his
best marksman to take part in the
contest. Every baron will have to
take part and the top three places
will receive some silver as a prize.
Although archery contests are
rare, when the opportunity arises
give it your best shot. When two
armies come up against each
other a statistics sheet will be
brought up and the two forces will
be compared, taking into account
the weather, how many men the
other army is outnumbered by,
and even what sort of men your
army is comprised of. If the going
gets tough, though, you have the
option to retreat.
Once all your opposing
enemies have been overcome
and driven from the land, or you
Despite the fact that it was doddle to complete, I was,
and still am, a great fan of Cinemaware’s Defender of the
Crown. So, when the opportunity to play what seemed to
be an enhanced variation of the theme came up, I was
looking forward to spending many a night storming
castles and rescuing fair maidens. Unfortunately,
Kindoms of England shares Defender’s problem of being
too easy, and there aren’t any superb graphics to keep
you interested. The task seems very repetitive, and the
action scenes repeat too often, making this a missed
| OVERALL RATING |
iis ma]
Ed Armies pour forth from your lands into the
defenceless counties surrounding. Revenue is the
name of the game, and the more land you get the more
money you'll get.
|
Good atmospheric music
which changes according
to the part of the game
you’re in, but apart from
that, there’s nothing else.
Not of top quality, but
effective for the type of
game. The map of
Englands is quite nice
and so is the end
sequence.
own a certain percentage of the
land, the game is won and you
will be made King of England, but
that's a lot easier than it sounds.
Well, at least you didn’t come last. The top three archers
all receive silver as a prize - it should come in useful.
Amiga Action |ssue 002 85
AMIGA
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Proprietors S.A and R.A Beech
2 Williams Clowes Street
Burslem
Stoke on Trent
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AMIGA
SPECIAL OFFERS
FI@NdISN Freddy.......es-cssssseescosees 19.95
New Zealand Story.............. 24. 95 16.99
2a San a 24.95 16.99
[| REN 24, * 16.99
MIGNON ooo sccenstsccscchciammrascomnons 9.95
a oe Ae rn el le 7.95
PONE NIG icscsovesadecaenieeaet 24. 95 17.95
Dc ecsresukicntvecstonvcostlorind ited aatne 7.95
Forgotten World .......ssssscsss 19. 95 14.95
SED POO iccsscctsancsspsncaisemacteres 24.95 15.95
OTe | 6.95
PURI eS cccstecctosmas 24. 95 15.99
Duk a 24. ” 15.99
LOY Cn ae 6.95
Warlocks Quest............cssssss. - 5.95
Tet VII isccssdadscceccscssckas cnn ; 7.9
SINE CF LACM. sscancccssscecerssime 7.95
Bards Tale Il.......ccssescessesseees 24. 95 16.95
SINE Fics sieesane es nccmstvnsies 19.95 1299
PEGDA 22s seaecssssvserescives 24.95 15.99
MURR IG eccis caccveacossancoroisensastassion 17.95
ESSE HITTIN csssscnienthccsccentevoneoises : 6.99
Photon Paint (no box)
just disk + instructions.......79.95 19.95
Faery Tale adventure.......... 44.95 8.95
For 1 month only:
Garfield 1 and Garfield 2
RRP £39.90
OUR PRICE £16.99
ALIEN SYNDROME
ON OFFER AT £7.95
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EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOVT AMIGA,
GRAPHICS
Next time you poWer-up your Amiga and marvel
at those glorious graphics, spare a thought for the
effort, and hardware resources, which go into
making those pixels come alive
- it’s more than
just a pretty picture! Jim Edwards explains what
happens to the pixels before they hit the screen.
This is a nice example of a HAM image. Those extra colours make
all the difference.
Bit-Plane 4
Colour Palette Registers
Bit-Plane 3
Bit-Plane 2
Bit-Plane 1
Bit-Plane 0
«
So what goes on behind the
scenes? Firstly, the programmers
who actually create the games
have to rely upon ‘pixel artists’
(read that carefully), the talented
guys who turn a game's design
and theory into a digital visual
extravaganza, using the rather
limited source material of
electronic pixels and colour
palettes.
It is logical to make the
computer work for you, so when
a pixel artist is designing
graphics for the next smash-hit
Amiga game, he's bound to use
the best tools and utilities
available to him. The Amiga has
some particularly good software
packages for this purpose:
Palette Mix
(intensity level of
each primary colour)
This diagram shows how the bit-planes of the low resolution (32 colour) mode point to a colour
register, which in turn, holds the RGB colour values for the pixel.
Deluxe Paint Ill, Photon Paint
and DigiPaint 3, to name but
three of the. most popular
programs for standard painting
work.
Many game developers,
however, will produce their own
dedicated sprite editors to
supplement the standard paint
programs. These special utilities
usually have animation facilities
built-in so that sequences of
slightly differing frames can be
slotted into a game's main data.
Animation is a vital element of
game graphics; it makes the
difference between a ‘shuffling
graphic blob’ and a believable
character which can come alive
when it hits the glass at the front
of your monitor or TV set.
Mapping
Many games give a virtual
playfield in which your Amiga
displays a scrolling ‘window’
upon a vast graphic world. It
would be impractical to patch
together numerous painted
pictures in order to form the
landscape, or whatever it is. This
is because each screen-full
would take up some 32K of
memory. The answer is to draw a
set of component ‘tiles’ which
can be slotted together in a pre-
defined sequence by the
program. Once the tiles -
sections of landscape, trees,
rocks, etc. - have been drawn,
the ‘map data’ can be arranged
in a grid to indicate how the tiles
slot together to form the finished
picture. The map can occupy
under 1K of data per screen-full
and the program can use this
information to generate a
seamless backdrop which looks
like a giant painted image - this
makes for bigger, better-looking
gameplay areas.
Perfect palette
Colours are composed of
varying levels of the red, green
and blue (RGB) primary colours.
These components are mixed
together to form any one of the
4096 colours which the Amiga is
capable of generating. Why
4096? Because there are 16
intensity levels of each of the
three red, green and blue
components, and 16 times 16
times 16 = 4096 permutations.
The RGB mixture information is
stored in 32 colour registers, one
for each of the possible 32
colours displayable on-screen.
Although it is possible to display
all 4096 colours at once, the
graphics modes used most
frequently in games display only
16 or 32 colours out of the
possible 4096, depending upon
how many ‘bit-planes'’ are used.
The more bit-planes used, the
more memory is required to carry
Amiga Action Issue 002 8 a
This requester shows
some of Deluxe Paint
lil’s screen mode
options.
straight edges - clean and tidy
blocks, in fact, which slot
together perfectly. It is only the
physical attributes of the CRT
Choose Screen Fornat _
Ge Number of
Lo-Res
Med—-Res 648x256
320x512
Interlace
Hi-Res 646x512
LOverscan ]
328x296
Colors:
Cz Ge)
PAL
Program Loading: | Swap Pi -— 45
the image, but more colours can
be displayed on the screen as a
result.
The image data itself is
stored in memory as a series of
bit-planes (known collectively as
a bit map), each bit-plane is
actually a grid of binary data (1's
and 0’s), Any given pixel you see
on the screen actually starts life
here: one bit is taken from each
plane making a binary number
between O and 15 for the 4 bit-
plane (16 colour) mode, or a
number between 0 and 31 for the
5 bit-plane (32 colour) mode.
This number points to one of the
32 colour registers where the
palette mixture data is stored,
thus giving the pixel its colour.
In addition to the screen
modes used by most games, the
Amiga has two special modes,
extra half-brite and hold and
modify (HAM), which are
capable of displaying 64 and
4096 colours respectively.
Because of the processor time
involved in exploiting these
modes, it is not practical to use
them for in-game graphics, but
Static title screens are sometimes
full-HAM images. When used,
the extra colours available more
than make up for any lack of
resolution, particularly where the
colours are introduced for subtle
shading effects.
the contents of the registers
along, thus making on-screen
pixels change colour, pulsate, or
appear to move. This is called
colour cycling.
Once Denise and Fat Agnus
have done their work, the image
has to find its way out of the
Amiga and on to you monitor or
TV screen. To skip some rather
heavy electronic theory, I'll
describe the last stage of the bit-
map to screen image process:
If the Amiga is connected to
an RGB monitor, its video
circuitry drives three electron
guns (for Red, Green and Blue)
which scan the visible face of the
CRT firing a beam of electrons at
its phosphor-coated inside
surface. The beams cause the
phosphor to glow momentarily
(the duration of which is referred
to as persistence) and so the
pixels are plotted horizontal scan
line by horizontal scan line to
form a complete image within the
blink of an eye. When the RGB
values are mixed to form a colour
in the Amiga’s colour registers,
those values will eventually be
used to drive the electron guns
which generate the pixels on
Deluxe Paint
Lehi.
ae é
screen. It is worth mentioning
that RGB colour is additive, so
that full intensities of each result
in white.
What is not normally understood
is the fact that pixels are actually
symmetrical polygons,
rectangles or squares, with
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which are responsible for making
the pixels look fuzzy and usually
losenge-shaped. Because the
stream of electrons’ only
energises through a patch of
phosphor for each RGB element,
the pixel is far from accurate but
when viewed from a distance,
looks fine. This effect is often
exploited by programmers and
artists in order to achieve a
smoother result, and the natural
anti-aliasing (softening of
contrasty colour boundaries) can
also be used to ‘fiddle’ the
image.
So when you see those
stunning Amiga graphics, don't
forget what goes into making
them: hard graft by the artists
who draw the images in the first
place, the programmers who
make them move, and, of
course, the Amiga itself which
contains all of the hardware
needed to make the best video
games in the business.
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Color
a long-time
favorite paint
Deluxe Paint Ill -
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package which
has been with the
Amiga right from
ee
Sy
The Amiga is blessed with some
exciting custom chips, two of
which, Denise and Fat Agnus,
are responsible for supporting a
range of graphics modes and
also allow the images to be
moved around the screen
quickly and smoothly without
placing too many demands upon
the processor, which would slow
the whole machine down if it had
to do the work itself. Although the
custom chips, particularly Fat
Agnus’ Blitter, are ideal for fast
scrolling and animation, it is
possible to get some good
animation effects by modifying
the colour registers, or shuffling
the early days.
The package
can be used to
Al Teme.
paint all manner
of pixel creations
of still life to
publicity material
the
rather precocious
831 Ol
@
CLR
*
such as
effort above
drawn by Steve
White
88 Issue 002 Amiga Action
(Left) Released
to coincide with
the film is this
Batdance demo
by Raco, Casp
and the
Barefooters.
Featuring a
rather nice
picture of Jack
Nicholson’s
Joker, your ears
are assailed by a
complete version
of Prince’s
Batdance tune.
Well worth a look
for the music
alone.
eo ee oe
ot SS 2
EATDANCE Bis 1
First, we have Equinox’s Kim Wilde demo,
which features lots of digitised piccys of
the gorgeous, pouting, etc. Kim herself. At
a guess, all of the pictures have been
grabbed from one of her videos, but the
music that accompanies the slide-show
seems totally irrelevant - it’s nice, though.
If you are a great fan of Miss Wilde, take a
look; but if, like me, she drives you up the
wall, don’t bother.
(Above) More ray-tracing larks with these two demos. Of the
two, the walking man is slightly better, if a little short, but the
hammer should prove quite interesting for a while.
Just recently, with the advent of Sculpt/animate 3D, there have been
a lot of ray-tracing demos available. Of them alli, my favourite is the
Ghost pool one, which features a fully-shaded poll table and balls,
being smacked around by a floating cue. In addition, also worth a
look, is the plane and ball demo. As the plane flies around the glass
ball, its image is distorted by the glass - well worth a look, methinks.
Finally, we have a very simple demo in which a magnifying glass
takes a closer look at a number of small pictures, enlarging and
distorting them in the process. Not bad, but hardly exciting stuff.
Amiga Action 'ssue 002 89
CHE OT
El al eal alk” pide anal al gy
Issue 002 Amiga Action
SUPER LEAGUE SOCCER
PAE!
KENNY DALGLISH
— 1 @ I Of OF = an 1 eS Oa
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* YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A DAY OUT AT ANFIELD!
RENAISSANCE
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¢ Unique "Old and New" versions of each game!
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TACKLE YOUR WAY TO THE TOP IN THIS REVOLUTIONARY
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How's that for
consistency? Two issues
of Amiga Action have
now passed through you
eagle eye! You must
agree that we have kept
our promise to offer the
definitive guide to Amiga
gaming and where
possible to improve the
quality. So go on - how
about it? Why not ensure
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Go on, why not treat
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TENSTAR PACK
C= Commodore
WORTH OVER £229)
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MERCENARY:
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» HETURN COUPON
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95
+VAT=
£399
“a , : me sf es . tec - A
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INCLUDES
FREE UK
DELIVERY
The Amiga 500 is one of a mew breed of technologically
advanced computers, which are now emerging as the new
Standard for home computing, based .around the new Motorola
68000 chip. The A500 has 512K RAM and a 1Mbyte double
. so sided set: drive built-in. It tae Sheed pyre one eas
ey et SS range of monitors, or to a domestic set through a
[EEE oe modulator. Designed with the user in mind, the A500 features a
e * °. i user friendly WIMP environment and comes supplied with a free
e 4 mouse. And, when you buy your Amiga from Silica Shop, the
3 UK's No1 Amiga specialists, you will experience an after sales
service that is second to none, including a technical support
helpline and free newsletters and price lists. Return the coupon
below for our current information pack, which will give details of
.the Silica service and the very latest Silica Amiga offers. E&OE.
PHOTON PAINT PACK
A500 Computer £399.99
TV Modulator £24.99
Photon Paint £69.95
TenStar Pack £229.50
TOTAL RRP: £724.43
LESS DISCOUNT: £325.43
PACK PRICE :;;: £399
10845 MONITOR
A500 Computer
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4 .
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FREE! - WIZBALL - by Ocean
-
by Elite
-
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FREE! - |KAR| WARRIORS -
Before you decide when to buy your new Commodore Amiga computer
we suggest you consider very carefully WHERE you buy it. There are
MANY companies who can offer you a computer, a tew penpherals and
the top ten selling titles. There are FEWER companies who can offer a
wide range of products for your computer as well as expert advice and
help wnen you need it There is ONLY ONE company who can provide
the largest range of Amiga related products in the UK. a full time Amiga
specialist technical helpline and in-depth after sales support, including
free newsletters and brochures delivered to your door for as long as you
require after you purchase your computer. That one company is Silica
Shop. We have been established jn the home computer field for ten years
and can now claim to meet our customers requirements with an accuracy
and understanding which is second to none Here are just some of the
Ihings we can offer you
THE FULL STOCK RANGE: The largest range of Amiga
related peripherals, accessories, books and software in the UK
AFTER SALES SUPPORT: The staff at Silica Shop are
dedicated to help you to get the best from your Amiga.
FREE NEWSLETTERS: Mailed direct to your home as
SOON as we print them, featuring offers and latest releases
When you buy the Amiga 500 from Silica Shop, you will not only
get a high power, value for money computer, we will also give
you some spectacular free gifts. First of all, we are now including
a TV modulator with every A500 stand alone keyboard, so you
can plug your Amiga straight into your TV at home (the
modulator is not included with the A500+A1084S pack as it is not
required for use with monitors). Secondly, we have added a free
copy of Photon Paint, an advanced graphics package with an
RRP of £69.95. Last (and by no means least!), so that you can be
Up and running straight away, we are giving away the sensational
TENSTAR GAMES PACK with every A500 purchased at Silica
Shop. This pack features ten top Amiga titles which have a
combined RRP of nearly £230! Return the coupon tor details
When you buy your Amiga 500 Amegas £14.95
from Silica Shop, we want to Art Of Chess £24.95
FREE OVERNIGHT DELIVERY: On all hardware orders || 1084S Colour Monitor £299.99 Weal possible That is why we Barbarian, Ult Warrior £19.95
shipped to Silica Shop customers within the UK mainland Photon Paint £69 95 are giving away the TENSTAR Buggy Boy £24.95
GAMES PACK worth nearly Ikari Warriors £24.95
PRICE MATCH PROMISE: We will normally match our
competitors offers on a ‘same product same price’ basis TenStar Pack £229.50 a in scien Lance cee Sito pepe
- Mercenary Comp .
FREE TECHNICAL HELPLINE: Full time team of Amiga TOTAL RRP: £999.43 | | Tre Fenster Games Pack inc: Terrorpods repipet
technical experts to help you with your technical queries. each individually packaged in Thundercats £24.95
LESS QISCOUNT: £350.43
PACK PRICE ‘':: £649
its own casing with instructions. Wizbaill £24.95
£229.50
But don't just take our word for it. Complete and return the
coupon below for our latest Amiga literature and begin to
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To: Silica Shop Ltd, Dept. AMIAC 11/89, 1-4 The Mews, Hatherley Road, Sidcup, Kent DA14 4DX
PLEASE SEND ME FREE LITERATURE ON THE AMIGA
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FREE OF CHARGE as they become available. Complete the coupon and return it to our Sidcup
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Address:
SIDCUP (& Mail Order) 01-309 1111
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OPEN: MON-SAT 9am - 5.30pm LATE NIGHT: FRIDAY 9am - 7pm
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Postcode:
Do you already own a computer
If so, which one do you own?
Coming soon, from. the
Palace/Delphine label, is an
arcade/adventure in the Sierra-
On-line mould. At present, the
game is called Future Wars, but
it is believed that this may
change before its release. Future
Wars is an arcade adventure
which takes place over several
time zones. The game's scenario
tells of how, in the year 4088,
Earth is at war with a race of
Whenever an object is collected, a
windowing system unfolds. Here, for
instance, our hero has found a typewriter
that is proving too bulky to carry. However,
by using the menu system
and the
windows, he can still use it.
Geetee
abate
=
aliens. This war has been going
on for years now, and both
factions are locked in stalemate.
As a last resort, the aliens have
planted four bombs in Earth's
past, and these bombs will
explode within the next year or
two, sealing victory and
domination for the creatures.
The game begins with you, a
part-time window cleaner,
cleaning the windows of a huge
multi-national companys
building. As you clean the
windows, every now and then
your boss bawls a complaint at
you. The game features a
Outside a large castle, the window-cleaner can either visit
the local tavern, take a wander around the forest, or enroll
on an important mission for the local lord.
94 Issue 002 Amiga Action
number of puzzles in the Sierra
vein, but Palace feel that the size
of the game, along with the
complex object-related puzzles,
takes the genre ‘one step
further’. Starting on the outside of
the building, you can collect and
hold a number of items, and
these can then be selected from
the icon-driven menu system.
Future Wars is entirely mouse-
controlled. The mouse pointer is
used. to control your character,
whilst the right button opens the
various windows, and the left
button selects options. Using this
system, then, does away with the
annoying ‘| do not understand’
syndrome so many adventures
suffer from. AS you make your
way through the 100+ screens
and four time zones that make
up the game, you can talk to
people and learn that things
aren't quite normal in each zone.
Influential people have gone
missing, and there are strange
goings-on. It transpires that it is
the aliens who are causing these
happenings, and they are
kidnapping anyone who saw
their plans. So, piecing together
what information you can gain
from the various villagers and
lords, you must attempt to thwart
the plans of the evil aliens.
Future Wars has been
worked on by the guy who wrote
Bio Challenge, for three years
now - in fact, the Delphine’s
Having made his way to the laboratory, our white-clad hero
stumbles across what looks to be a photo-copier and a
transmat beam. | wonder if the two are connected in any way?
platform romp was written in his
spare time! It features masked
graphics, excursions into the
past, present and future, and a
long-term task. The only problem
is, you won't be able to get your
hands on it for about three
months!
Stormiord - Hewson
Originally programmed on the
Spectrum and Amstrad by Raff
Cecco, the long-awaited Amiga
version of Stormlord is well under
way. Converted by Keith
McMurtrieé, who also wrote
Zynaps and Foundations Waste,
Amiga Stormlord is boasting two
extra levels over its 8-bit
counterpart, and much improved
graphics and sound.
Stormlord has the player
taking control over a nicely
animated viking warrior, as he
traverses six superbly detailed
levels in search of fairies. These
fairies and their beautiful queen
have been kidnapped and
imprisoned in small bubbles
situated all over the hostile
landscape, so the warrior must
take his life into his hands and
attempt to free them. So far,
Stormlord has had six months of
work put into it, and is looking
The detailed
viking makes his
way across the
treacherous
landscape with only
an umbrella as
protection - still, at
least his strength
won’t be sapped by
the persistent acid
drops.
very nice. The play area scrolls
smoothly past our wandering
hero, and detailed enemies such
as dragons, acid droplets and
other mystical creatures attempt
to deplete our hero's energy bar.
Meanwhile, in the background,
thunderclaps roar and a pleasing
twee tune accompanies play.
Your viking is armed with an
unlimited supply of thunderbolts
and a large sword which he
throws at the larger assailants.
Also aiding him in his quest are a
number of teleport beacons -
well, the viking equivalent,
anyway! And standing on these,
summons a large eagle, who
sweeps you Off to the next
nearest beacon.
The game is an
arcade/adventure of the classic
style of Pyjamarama (remember
that?) and Mission Elevator, and
success depends holding and
using the right object in the right
place. The viking can hold only
one item at a time, and must
wander to and fro using
umbrellas to combat the acid
drops or honey to take bees
away from a needed object. So
far, only four of the six levels are
complete, but from what we have
seen, these are very impressive -
especially the superb cartoon-
like graphics. You'll be able to
see for yourself, though, when it
is released in two months time.
Myth - System 3
Mentioned in passing in last
month’s RSN, was System 3's
biggie for Christmas, Myth. Now,
however, we are proud to bring
you the first shots of the game.
At present, the game is at a very
early stage of development, but
you can expect to see it just
before the season of goodwill -
November, to be precise. The
game's scenario tells of you, a
brave warrior, who has been
summoned from the twentieth
century to make sure history
runs its true course, It is the
ancient gods that have called
upon you for help, as they are
concerned about the activities
of the rogue deity, Dameron,
who has taken over the heavens
and is tampering with the very
existence of time and the
universe.
Your mission to defeat
Dameron takes place over four,
sprawling levels, each full of
teetering platforms and deadly
mythical creatures, such as the
Hydra and the snake-haired
Medusa. You begin your quest
in ancient Rome, before
eventually leaping and fighting
your way to Greece, the Nordic
realm of the Vikings and Egypt.
Each of these levels has its own
‘look’ keeping in tone with
the time zone you are in,
and you will find yourself
fighting off large club-
wielding Vikings,
mummies and centurians
in your battle to defeat
Dameron. To aid you in
your quest, magical
items which, if used in
the correct place, allow
extra weapons to be
collected by our hero, all
of which will make the
destruction of Dameron
slightly easier. As is
becoming the norm, the
end of each level is
wo To get quickly from location to location, the viking can use
one of the many ‘ye olde’ teleport machines that are dotted
around the landscape. By standing on a pedestal, an eagle
appears and whisks you off to your chosen destination.
monster who requires a number
of shots in its weak spot before it
passes away and will allow
entrance to the next stage - the
trouble is, can you find its weak
spot!
The men behind Myth, are
Laurie Sinnet and Martin
Wheeler. Both were involved in
the creation of the horizontally
and vertically-scrolling
shoot’'em-up, Dominator, with
Laurie writing the Amstrad and
Spectrum versions, whilst Martin
drew the graphics for each of
the versions. As usual at System
3, the game is a real team
effort, with all of the inhouse
programmers throwing in ideas.
The game is being converted
and improved from the original
C64 version, with the Amiga's
considerably superior facilities
being taken advantage of to
provide super-smooth, 8-way
scrolling and large monsters.
Amongst the many contributing
ideas, there is Phil Harrison, who
drafted the original storyboard,
Peter Baron and, a name that
may be familiar to anyone who
used to subscribe to Compunet,
Bob Stephenson. Bob has
worked on a lot of C64 games in
the past, including the two
shoot'em-ups, lO and
Salamander, and has gained
quite a reputation for being a
binary Botticelli. The main man
behind Amiga Myth, though, is
Laurie. Using a 12mhz Aries PC
running the latest version of the
PDS/2 68000 software and
linked up Amigas and STs for
speed, Laurie beavers away.
This system saves a lot of time
when it comes to assembling,
leaving him more time to perfect
important things like the
graphics - items which he is
writing in a ‘modular’ fashion,
seperately from the main code.
Previous work by Laurie
includes Grandslam's
Espionage, but we will
conveniently forget that! Work
has been going on for some
time now, and the first thing
Laurie did was to kick out the
Amiga Operating System. After
that, he started work on the
scrolling routines and graphics.
Sixteen colours are going to be
used for the graphics and
backdrops, and Laurie is
especially proud of the
animation routines the main
sprite uses. And, from what |
have seen, deservedly so. When
complete, System 3 are
convinced that the game will
become ‘history in the making,
but whether this is true or not
will be revealed in November.
guarded by a h uge é& Although work is at a very early stage, already the animation of the
sprite is very fluid.
Amiga Action |ssue 002 95
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This is the score sheet is one the key to the Amiga Action scoring system. Each
reviewer fills out one of these sheets for each game they review. The sheet breaks
down all the elements of a game and reduces the reviewers decision to a simple good,
1-5 score, this helps take the guess work out of scoring things like animation or use of
colour. Combined with this analytical approach is a "gut feeling” score, the two results
are combined using a special piece of computer software which calculates the final
scores. Space is also provided on the sheet for making notes to the editor and for
details like the price of the game and the software house. And thats it really! As you
can see we dont just throw darts blindfold like other magazines - it's your hard earned
money at stake - we don't leave anything to chance!
ee
96 issue 002 Amiga Action
Here at Amiga Action, we take our
games very seriously indeed. You have
probably heard that from other
magazines that only review six or
seven games an issue, but here at
Amiga Action, we mean it. Whenever a
game arrives in the office, the person
most suited to review it is immediately
sent off into the corner to play it fully.
For instance, it would be no good
giving our adventurers, Mitch and
Steve Kennedy, a shoot’em-up,
because rumour has it they don't even
Own a joystick between them! That
person then doesn’t emerge from his
corner until he has totally analysed the
game and written the main review,
complete with totally descriptive
captions. After that, the other two
reviewers are banished to their
individual corners, and also play it for
a hours on end before writing their
comments. After that, the jolly trio then
discuss the various merits of the title,
play it in two-player mode (if
applicable), and eventually come up
with a score for the graphics, sound
and its overall percentage.
Our reviews are split into three main
sections: the body text which
describes the game’s scenario and
basic features and where the scores
are shown; individual comments from
three reviewers which list particular
features we were impressed by or
faults we loathed, as we think it is vital
to have more than one person as quite
a lot of the time, and often there are a
lot of violent arguements about them.
Finally, there are the captions, which
we feel can give a better description of
the games than boring old body text
waffle. Basically, we offer the most
concise review system there is, and, as
far as we can see, there isn't a single
loop-hole in it.
If you have already flicked through
the mag, you may have noticed that we
don't score games quite as highly as
our rivals. This is because we don't see
the point in giving a particular genre
99% when next month something may
appear that is even better - do we
then give that game 100%? This way,
we can sort the men from the boys. If a
game scores over 80% in Amiga
Action, then you can be sure that it is a
must buy, and if a game scores less,
then you should read the comments to
see what was wrong with it. The whole
process is very complex, but we feel
that this way we are making sure that
you, the readers and game-buying
public, are getting the best information
going. Remember: if a game scores
over 80% in Amiga Action, then we will
put our logo to it. What more of a
garauntee could you ask for?
ras
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~~ The sun's beating down, Rock 'n’ Roll music's
he — playing, it's time for Beach Volley — let's take on the world!
- —— Your team travels the globe from London to Sydney
challenging all comers in the latest craze that’s sweeping
the beaches.
Fantastic action with variable service and play controls
pectrum BoD snica24. G9 ey Oe
bwiinbon pee as you lob the defences, try a lightning reflex short smash
STRAD 99 ST | 9.99 to win back your service, jump block to defend your
atch winner. “ni
A S S es ay A fac zi Riki a Yolle a BE a Be Ocean Software Limited - 6 Central Street - Manchester - M2 5NS
Inis 1s beacn Volley. . . you May even Catch a tan: Telephone: 061 832 6633 - Telex: 669977 OCEANS G - Fax: 061 834 0650
They called International Karate
‘the greatest Karate beam ‘em
up yet’ (Commodore User).
And who are we to argue?
But ARCHER MACLEAN has
come up with a stunner: A third
fighter. An amazing animated
background. New moves
Glateleteliayemelolele)(-mal-[ebl tem lale
a spectacular backflip).
Re-mixed music by ROB
HUBBARD. And balls!
© 1987 Archer Maclean
© 1987 System 3 Software Ltd
ATARI ST AMIGA
DISK
D.C. Comics’ famous super
aloigem =f) enst- ame) ect-Lemelslce)
the micro screen in aWham! POW!
Arcade adventure as you engage
the forces of evil in Gotham City.
Start in the Batcave and move on
through the world of fun and
excitement as you face the
trickiest customer of all... the
Penguin. Save some strength for
the battles ahead with the
dastardly Joker however, or you'll
miss the thrilling climax!
TM& © DC Comics Inc. 1988. All rights reserved
In 1977 Voyager Il was
launched — inviting all life
forms in the Universe to
visit our planet. Get ready -
company’s coming. Luke Snayles -
returning to Earth after completing a
50 year sentence of “investigative
exploration” is not a man you'd wish
to meet. After half a century of
solitude, he’s bored and hungry. On
Earth the gate crashers are about to
arrive — they are the ROXIZ, but
Snayles has got other ideas — no-one,
but NO-ONE is going to spoil his
home-coming party!
© Ocean Software Ltd. 1989
ae
|
Deep in the cosmos, the ultimate terror
The Bydo Empire — evil, horrific, deadly,
In the dark recesses of time and space,
its terrifying creatures roam the cosmos,
waging war on the Planet Earth, The
desperate battle has just begun....As
pilot of the R-9 fighter plane, it is your
mission to crush these interstellar
monsters using every sophisticated
weapon at your disposal. Only your skill
and reactions stand between brilliant
victory—and the devastation of Mankind
At last. the arcade sensation bursts on
to your home screen with several stages,
terrains and a compelling scroll feature —
the ultimate in thrilling gameplay
R-Type 1987 |REM Corporation
Licensed to Electric Dreams
Ocean Software Limited - 6 Central Street
Manchester - M2 5NS
Telephone: 061 832 6633
Telex: 669977 OCEANS G - Fax: 061 834 0650
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